Girls' name · since 1880
Philomena
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 9,951 babies named Philomena, peaking in 1922. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,676 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,912 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 9,951
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Philomena is the #1912 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 9,951 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Philomena has been recorded 9,951 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #1912 nationally and more common than 89% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. 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.
- #1,676 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,912 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 9,951 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Philomena ranks #1,676 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,912 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 9,951 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1,676 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,912 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 9,951
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Philomena's 9,951 recorded births place it above 97.68% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
24 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Philomena compares
9,951 Top 10% higher than 90% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Philomena's all-time total is 26x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Philomena | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 9,951 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 308 | 21 | 19,840 |
Philomena's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Philomena's full recorded timeline at 1952, 24% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 76% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1990, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1922 peak of 308 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Philomena popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1922)
- 308
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Philomena by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (2,711 births, 27% of the file).
1920s was Philomena's strongest decade.
2,711 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Philomena births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 140
1880s
140 births
- 1890s 296
1890s
296 births
- 1900s 613
1900s
613 births
- 1910s
1910s
2,071 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,711 births
- 1930s 1,070
1930s
1,070 births
- 1940s 547
1940s
547 births
- 1950s 534
1950s
534 births
- 1960s 239
1960s
239 births
- 1970s 115
1970s
115 births
- 1980s 72
1980s
72 births
- 1990s 122
1990s
122 births
- 2000s 218
2000s
218 births
- 2010s 665
2010s
665 births
- 2020s 538
2020s
538 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 2,711 births (27% of all-time use).
How Philomena compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Philomena's total volume
Philomena by state
Where Philomena concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 2,046 | 20.6% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 1,780 | 17.9% |
| #3 | New Jersey | | 781 | 7.8% |
| #4 | Massachusetts | | 473 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Connecticut | | 388 | 3.9% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 243 | 2.4% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 194 | 1.9% |
| #8 | California | | 79 | 0.8% |
2,046 of 9,951 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 24 reporting states.
Philomena appears in 24 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Philomena? ▼
Where does Philomena sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Philomena most popular? ▼
Where is Philomena most popular? ▼
How long has the name Philomena been used? ▼
What names are similar to Philomena? ▼
What to do with Philomena's data
- Philomena's decade-level peak was the 1920s (2,711 total births); usage has since declined to 538 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Philomenas (2,046 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Philomena
Nearby Names Like Philomena
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Philomena
Compare Philomena side by side: Philomena vs Phillis Philomena vs Philippa Philomena vs Phillip
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Philomena
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Philomena: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1922)
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 Philomena 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.