View Message

[Opinions] Lily or Lilly?
I see that most people on here spell it Lily. I've never, ever seen that in my life. There are five of them in my high school class, and they all spell it Lilly. I've met other ones too: at camp, my family, etc. and they're all Lillys. How do you spell it and why? And is the spelling "Lily" new?
Archived Thread - replies disabled
vote up1

Replies

I suppose it depends on which side of the pond you are on. In the UK, it's my understanding that Lilian is the default spelling while in the US, the name is usually spelled Lillian so I can see where Lilly comes from. Personally, I prefer Lily. After all, the flower only has one l. I just find the other way strange looking. In addition, other countries have variants of the name and they only use one l (Liliane, Liliana). Also, Lily after the flower looks less like a nn than Lilly which just looks short for Lillian.
vote up1
I would spell it Lily, because that's how the flower is spelled. Lilly makes a bit of sense if it is a nickname for Lillian, because both have 2 Ls.
vote up1
I prefer Lily, but I don't mind Lilly.
vote up1
Lilly is the spelling of a surname. Lily is the spelling of the flower, and thus it seems more correct to use this version as a first name. So I prefer Lily.
vote up1
Lilly, to me, is a surname, and a huge pharmaceutical company. I've only ever met kids called Lily.
vote up1
vote up1
This is all very interesting. Thanks for your responses. I actually never knew that Lily could be a name. I thought it was a flower name like geranium or chrysanthimum: just not one that you ever saw. As I said, I know ten Lillians, and they go by Lilly. That's it.
vote up1
Lilly- nickname for Lillian.Lily- flower and alternate spelling of nickname. This is the only spelling I'm used to seeing and I prefer.

This message was edited 6/19/2011, 8:18 AM

vote up1
Lilly/Lily is such a pretty name and I like both spellings. But I prefer it as Lily because I'm pretty sure that's how people spell it when they are talking about a flower.
vote up1
I only like Lily.Lilly seems old to me. It's the most common spelling here in Sweden (I think?) and also how they used to spell it back in the days...
vote up1
Lily like the flower.I don't particularly like the spelling Lilly. I usually prefer the simplest spelling of a name. Names can seem to cluttered otherwise.
vote up1
I prefer Lily, because as others have mentioned, it's how the flower is spelt:)
vote up1
I can't stand when word names aren't spelled correctly. Never understood why people do it. I suppose, though, if people use Lilly as a NN for Lillian, that's not too bad.
vote up1
Lily is the most common spelling here in Australia, though Lilly is sometimes used to. I think the reason Lily is more common is because of the flower, that's the way you spell the name of the flower, so it makes sense.
vote up1
Lily. It looks cleaner to me, like the second L is unnecessary. I used to think it was spelled Lilly too for some reason though I only know of Lily's now.
vote up1
The spelling Lily is not new, actually according to the SSA its the more common spelling. Generally the spelling Lilly is used as a NN for Lillian and Lily is a given name. Personally I prefer Lily because I don't like when words have their spellings changed for the sake of making it "look more like a name". Still sounds the same when you say it. :/
vote up1
I highly doubt that the spelling of Lily is new, since it is the name of a flower. I'd guess that most parents who chose the name did so are referencing the flower rather than as a derivative of Lillian or Lilian. I prefer Lily, or Lillie if its derived from Lillian.
vote up1
I spell it Lily like the flower. I'm used to seeing Lily rather than Lilly. I don't mind Lilly as a nickname for Lillian, but I don't care for it on its own. Lilly seems too much like a nickname to me. Lily, on the other hand, seems more substantial because of the word.
vote up1
Agree.
vote up1
I never knew that Lily or Lilly could ever be on its own. I thought that they both were nicknames for Lillian. I've only met Lillians, never straight Lilys.
vote up1
...I've met plenty? Don't know what you're talking about...
vote up1
Where do you live that you have never seen a Lilly or Lily?? I find that astonishing.
vote up1
No, no. I know, like, ten Lillys. But they're all Lillian. And I've never met a Lily.
vote up1
That's what I mean. All of the Lilly's you know being nick names for Lillian seems odd. I have seen more plain Lilly and Lily than I have seen Lillian.
vote up1
Yeah, I've never seen a Lily. Just Lillian.
vote up1