Multiple studies have shown that CC motif chemokine ligand 19 (CCL19) promotes cell proliferation in several human cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and function of CCL19 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), Western blot, and immunohistochemistry were performed separately to detect the expression of CCL19 in HCC tissues. The expression of CCL19 and its receptor (CCR7) in different HCC cell lines were screened by Western blot. HCC cell lines were screened and processed with recombinant human CCL19 (rhCCL19) or si-CCL19 RNA. Cell proliferation assay and transwell assay were performed to evaluate the proliferation and migration of HCC cells, respectively. Low expression of CCL19 was observed in 83.72 % (72/86) of the HCC versus 16.67 % (4/24) of the adjacent non-tumorous liver tissues, the difference of CCL19 expression between HCC and adjacent non-tumorous liver tissues was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The expression level of CCL19 mRNA and protein in tumor tissues was significantly lower than adjacent non-tumorous liver tissues. The proliferation and migration of HCC cells were obviously inhibited in rhCCL19-treated groups. Our data suggest that CCL19 may play a suppressive role in the regulation of aggressiveness in human HCC.