Total births
311,561
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.
- #626
- among boys today
- 311,561
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other boys
Phillip currently ranks #626 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 #626 nationally and more common than 96% 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.
- #626 among boys today
- 311,561 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 96% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Phillip is currently the #626 boys' name in America, more common than 96% of boys - 311,561 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #626
- among boys today
- 311,561
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other boys
Phillip vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#626
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 96% of names given to boys today.
1950s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Phillip was born in this single decade.
1960
Single peak year
6,047 babies were named Phillip in 1960 - its busiest year on record.
How Phillip compares
311,561 Top 1% higher than 99% of 14,294 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 849x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Phillip | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 311,561 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 6,047 | 23 | 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 at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1960
Current rank
#626
Active since
1880
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
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% |
California share of Phillip's total US births 9.5%
Even split
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? ▼
Phillip has been given to 311,561 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #626 as of the latest data. 6,047 babies were born in 1960, its single highest year.
When was Phillip most popular? ▼
Phillip was most popular in the 1950s decade with 52,457 total births. The single peak year was 1960.
Where is Phillip most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Phillip are California (29,448 births), Texas (20,106 births), Illinois (17,698 births).
How long has the name Phillip been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Phillip since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Phillip? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Philip, Phil, Philippe, Phineas, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Philip Boy
#520 344,036 births
Phil Boy
#10942 20,036 births
Philippe Boy
#7296 3,043 births
Phineas Boy
#1541 2,803 births
Phillips Boy
1,331 births
Compare Phillip side by side: Phillip vs Philip Phillip vs Phil Phillip vs Philippe
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Phillip
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Phillip: #626 Boys' Name - 311,561 Births, Peak 1960." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/phillip. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.