US rank #626 Boys' name Peak 1960 311,120 births

Phillip — #626 US boys' name

311,120 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.

1880s8981890s8841900s11611910s51351920s95251930s165331940s369881950s524581960s503941970s398441980s457061990s279702000s134732010s76242020s2527
#626
of 14,243 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

6,043 babies were named Phillip in 1960 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Phillip

The Social Security Administration has registered 311,120 babies named Phillip between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Phillip currently holds the #626 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1960, when 6,043 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Phillip performed strongest in the 1950s, accumulating 52,458 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Phillip shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 29,404 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and Illinois. In total, SSA state-level files list Phillip in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Phillip in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 311,120 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Phillip at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

311,120

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1960

6,043 births that year

Strongest decade: 1950s

Current rank

#626

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Phillip popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1960)
6,043
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2,00002,0004,0006,0008,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 75

Phillip popularity over time — girls

1,330 total births recorded since 1918 (Phillip as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 1,330 births
01020304050 200519891979196919591949193719241918 5

Phillip by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1950s
Peak decade
1950s
52,458 births that decade — 17% of Phillip's all-time total
1880s8981890s8841900s11611910s51351920s95251930s165331940s369881950s524581960s503941970s398441980s457061990s279702000s134732010s76242020s2527

Phillip by state

Where Phillip concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Phillip
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
29,404 9.5%
#2 Texas
20,079 6.5%
#3 Illinois
17,688 5.7%
#4 Ohio
15,962 5.1%
#5 New York
13,498 4.3%
#6 Michigan
13,087 4.2%
#7 North Carolina
12,856 4.1%
#8 Indiana
11,003 3.5%
California share of Phillip's total US births 9.5%
Even split

29,404 of 311,120 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?
311,120 babies have been named Phillip since 1880. It currently ranks #626 among boys. The peak year was 1960 with 6,043 births.
When was Phillip most popular?
Phillip was most popular in the 1950s decade with 52,458 total births. The single peak year was 1960.
Where is Phillip most popular?
The top states for the name Phillip are California (29,404 births), Texas (20,079 births), Illinois (17,688 births).
How long has the name Phillip been used?
Phillip has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
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.

Keep exploring Phillip

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.