Boys' name · since 1880
Phillip
311,561 babies named Phillip in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1960. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #115 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #651 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 311,561
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Phillip currently ranks #651 among boys' names in America, with 311,561 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Phillip has been recorded 311,561 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #651 nationally and more common than 95% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #115 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #651 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 311,561 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Phillip ranks #115 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #651 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 311,561 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #115 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #651 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 311,561
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Phillip's 311,561 recorded births place it above 99.74% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Phillip compares
311,561 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Phillip's all-time total is 844x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Phillip | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 311,561 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 6,047 | 34 | 22,252 |
Phillip's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Phillip's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 72% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 28%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1891, with only 74 births recorded -- set against the 1960 peak of 6,047, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Phillip popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1960)
- 6,047
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Phillip popularity over time - girls
1,330 total births recorded since 1918 (Phillip as girls' name)
Phillip by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (52,457 births, 17% of the file).
1950s was Phillip's strongest decade.
52,457 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Phillip births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 898
1880s
898 births
- 1890s 884
1890s
884 births
- 1900s 1,161
1900s
1,161 births
- 1910s 5,135
1910s
5,135 births
- 1920s 9,525
1920s
9,525 births
- 1930s 16,534
1930s
16,534 births
- 1940s
1940s
36,989 births
- 1950s
1950s
52,457 births
- 1960s
1960s
50,396 births
- 1970s
1970s
39,845 births
- 1980s
1980s
45,707 births
- 1990s
1990s
27,972 births
- 2000s 13,473
2000s
13,473 births
- 2010s 7,626
2010s
7,626 births
- 2020s 2,959
2020s
2,959 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 52,457 births (17% of all-time use).
How Phillip 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 Phillip's total volume
Phillip by state
Where Phillip concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 29,448 | 9.5% |
| #2 | Texas | | 20,106 | 6.5% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 17,698 | 5.7% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 15,978 | 5.1% |
| #5 | New York | | 13,514 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 13,105 | 4.2% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 12,872 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 11,014 | 3.5% |
29,448 of 311,561 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Phillip appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Phillip? ▼
Where does Phillip sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Phillip most popular? ▼
Where is Phillip most popular? ▼
How long has the name Phillip been used? ▼
What names are similar to Phillip? ▼
What to do with Phillip's data
- Phillip's decade-level peak was the 1950s (52,457 total births); usage has since declined to 2,959 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Phillips (29,448 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 Phillip
Nearby Names Like Phillip
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Phillip
Compare Phillip side by side: Phillip vs Philip Phillip vs Phil Phillip vs Philippe
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Phillip
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Phillip: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1960)
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 Phillip 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.