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Both have far older histories than this, but my immediate association is always a little girl.

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Both are fine. I've never really liked Olivia, but it's a fine name. I like Lily, though it feels overdone.

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I'd choose Lily.

Of the two, I far prefer Olivia--always have. I've always found it elegant without being overly complicated or pretentious. The main thing keeping me from using it now is its uber-popularity (and an old family friend naming their daughter Olivia).

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Lily looks pretty, and it's my favorite flower (particularly the tiger lily), but I don't enjoy saying it. I feel like it turns into slurry in my mouth. (Aurora does the same thing... as does Lilith.) Lillian is a bit more substantial. I do think Lily is a cute middle name, though.

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I don't think I have an image in my head of either because they're so popular. In fact, they could very well be sisters.

This message was edited 2/25/2025, 6:25 PM

Neither. They are both too popular and overdone. I'm bored of both names.

Lily - very common in 2010.
Olivia extremely common through now.
There are so many girls with these names that a decade comes to mind rather than a person. These names are the Linda and Barbara of their generation.

both are lovely but I much prefer Lily

Olivia, but it's too popular for me and so is Lily.

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Lily is nice, but I'd prefer it as a nickname for Lilian.

I'm very tired of Olivia. It's not a bad name but I've grown numb to it.

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I choose Lily, but I'm one of the odd few that prefers it spelled Lillie. I feel like it has more presence that way.

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I feel like an Olivia can be anyone, but a Lily always has a sweet or bubbly personality in my mind.

I used to love the name Lily, but now it seems kind of overused. I don’t hate it though. Olivia is really pretty, but I prefer Livia. Overall, if I had to pick one of the two, I would pick Olivia.

I used to also love the name Olivia- I have a cousin by the name (my age) who I grew up seeing multiple times a year. I now don't mind it, but it's been used so much nowadays that I wouldn't consider it. Nothing against the name, just a little too popular at the moment for my taste. I have the exact feelings about the name Lily; it's been used so much in recent years around my area. I'd prefer Lillian, Liliana, or Lilia to either name. However, given the choice between Olivia and Lily, I opt for Olivia because it still has classic elegance, in my opinion.

I used to love Olivia when I was a kid, it seemed like such a special name, very Victorian and rare. There was a character on my favourite show, Road to Avonlea, named Olivia and I just loved her. But then Olivia became so popular, it became boring. I switched my allegiance to Olive.

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My husband really likes Olivia, so that's given the name some shine again.

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I don't mind Lily, but I prefer it as a middle name, because it's so light and insubstantial. I also have an ancestor named Lillie who was a dreadful person, so Lily felt like a "mean" name to me. It's pretty, but Lily is cold, fussy, and pale, while Olivia is dark, intelligent, and has a certain refined class. I think the influence of Olivia de Havilland is pretty strong in my mind.

Olivia. Lily just never appealed to me.

Olivia is more substantial than Lily. I like Lily better as nickname. On it’s own I think it’s very frilly (Frilly Lilly).

I know they're both super popular (especially Olivia), but I absolutely love both.

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I do kind of prefer Lily as a NN for something longer, like Liliana. So maybe Olivia, but it's really difficult for me to settle on one.

Neither one. They're both spineless and slippery. They call to mind little girls with nearly supersonic'lly high-pitched voices, insisting on wearing one of their collection of princess costumes even when it's totally not appropriate and throwing screaming fits when they don't get to wear them.

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I actually used to kind of like Olivia; i love the glamorous character Olivia on Sesame Street when I wa little, and that was really the only Olivia I was very familiar with for a long time. Her and Olivia Newton-John. (Come to think of it, my daughter was riding in the car with me recently and an Olivia Newton-John song came on the radio. She said "She has a voice like a chipmunk.")

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I like Lillian fairly well, it's that one last syllable that gives it some backbone. Lillian might like her princess costume, but she knows not to wear it to school or to play in the snow.

Olivia

I've never enjoyed silly-Billy Lily, and the kind of person that comes to my mind with the name is an unfortunate one, stuck with gloomy white floral fashion. I like Olivia, which I think is pretty and suits all ages; lots of nns available if required.

I prefer Olivia

Olivia, but both are lovely

I like Lily more than Olivia. Lily is a little more lively and cheerful to me and Olivia a bit calmer and more in the background, but they both give off similar vibes to me apart from that.

I slightly prefer Olivia, because it’s got more to it, but they’re both sweet. They both have a modern-popular vibe.