US rank #1819 Girls' name Peak 1922 9,847 births

Philomena — #1819 US girls' name

9,847 babies named Philomena in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1922. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s1401890s2961900s6131910s20711920s27111930s10701940s5471950s5341960s2391970s1151980s721990s1212000s2182010s6652020s435
#1819
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 90% of names given to girls today.

1920s
Peak decade

28% of everyone ever named Philomena was born in this single decade.

1922
Single peak year

308 babies were named Philomena in 1922 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Philomena

The Social Security Administration has registered 9,847 babies named Philomena between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Philomena currently holds the #1819 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1922, when 308 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Philomena performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 2,711 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Philomena shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 2,041 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In total, SSA state-level files list Philomena in 24 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Philomena 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 9,847 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.

Philomena at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

9,847

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1922

308 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#1,819

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Philomena popularity over time

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

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1922)
308
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-1000100200300400 202420061988196919511933191518971880 10

Philomena by decade

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

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
2,711 births that decade — 28% of Philomena's all-time total
1880s1401890s2961900s6131910s20711920s27111930s10701940s5471950s5341960s2391970s1151980s721990s1212000s2182010s6652020s435

Philomena by state

Where Philomena concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Regionally concentrated
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Philomena
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
2,041 20.7%
#2 Pennsylvania
1,774 18.0%
#3 New Jersey
781 7.9%
#4 Massachusetts
473 4.8%
#5 Connecticut
388 3.9%
#6 Ohio
233 2.4%
#7 Illinois
194 2.0%
#8 California
73 0.7%
New York share of Philomena's total US births 20.7%
Even split

2,041 of 9,847 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?
9,847 babies have been named Philomena since 1880. It currently ranks #1819 among girls. The peak year was 1922 with 308 births.
When was Philomena most popular?
Philomena was most popular in the 1920s decade with 2,711 total births. The single peak year was 1922.
Where is Philomena most popular?
The top states for the name Philomena are New York (2,041 births), Pennsylvania (1,774 births), New Jersey (781 births).
How long has the name Philomena been used?
Philomena has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Philomena?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Phillis, Philippa, Phillip, Philip, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Philomena

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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.