Boys' name · since 1880
Phil
Phil has 20,036 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1959 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #841 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,682 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 20,036
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
Yes -- Phil is the #7682 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 20,036 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Phil recorded 20,036 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #7682 nationally today, ahead of 45% of boys, peaking in the 1940s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #841 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #7,682 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 20,036 born since 1880
- 1940s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Phil ranks #841 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,682 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 20,036 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.
- #841 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,682 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 20,036
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
Phil's 20,036 recorded births place it above 98.15% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
40 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Phil compares
20,036 Top 6% higher than 94% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Phil's all-time total is 54x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Phil | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 20,036 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 677 | 34 | 22,252 |
Phil's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Phil splits its recorded history at 1953: 45% of all births land in the more recent half, 55% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 2024 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1959 peak of 677 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Phil popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1959)
- 677
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Phil popularity over time - girls
72 total births recorded since 1912 (Phil as girls' name)
Phil by decade
1940s is the heaviest window (4,575 births, 23% of the file).
1940s was Phil's strongest decade.
4,575 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Phil births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 169
1880s
169 births
- 1890s 179
1890s
179 births
- 1900s 218
1900s
218 births
- 1910s 938
1910s
938 births
- 1920s 1,506
1920s
1,506 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,571 births
- 1940s
1940s
4,575 births
- 1950s
1950s
3,777 births
- 1960s
1960s
4,053 births
- 1970s 889
1970s
889 births
- 1980s 457
1980s
457 births
- 1990s 315
1990s
315 births
- 2000s 198
2000s
198 births
- 2010s 139
2010s
139 births
- 2020s 52
2020s
52 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 4,575 births (23% of all-time use).
How Phil compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Phil's total volume
Phil by state
Where Phil concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 2,057 | 10.3% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,169 | 5.8% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 966 | 4.8% |
| #4 | New York | | 946 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 906 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Indiana | | 804 | 4.0% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 685 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 665 | 3.3% |
2,057 of 20,036 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Phil appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Phil? ▼
Where does Phil sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Phil most popular? ▼
Where is Phil most popular? ▼
How long has the name Phil been used? ▼
What names are similar to Phil? ▼
What to do with Phil's data
- Phil's decade-level peak was the 1940s (4,575 total births); usage has since declined to 52 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Phils (2,057 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Phil
Nearby Names Like Phil
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Phil
Compare Phil side by side: Phil vs Philip Phil vs Phillip Phil vs Philippe
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Phil
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Phil: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1959)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Phil draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.