US rank #1537 Boys' name Peak 2016 2,695 births

Phineas — #1537 US boys' name

2,695 babies named Phineas in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2016. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s51890s101910s381920s331930s291940s151950s231960s261970s261980s471990s762000s6062010s11892020s572
#1537
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 89% of names given to boys today.

2010s
Peak decade

44% of everyone ever named Phineas was born in this single decade.

2016
Single peak year

142 babies were named Phineas in 2016 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Phineas

The Social Security Administration has registered 2,695 babies named Phineas between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Phineas currently holds the #1537 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 2016, when 142 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Phineas performed strongest in the 2010s, accumulating 1,189 births during that ten-year window. Across the 14 decades of recorded activity, Phineas shows notable generational variation in parental adoption. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 200 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by New York and Texas. In total, SSA state-level files list Phineas in 26 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Phineas 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 2,695 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.

Phineas at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

2,695

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

2016

142 births that year

Strongest decade: 2010s

Current rank

#1,537

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Phineas popularity over time

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

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2016)
142
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-50050100150 202420142004199419761953192618971880 5

Phineas by decade

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

Peak: 2010s
Peak decade
2010s
1,189 births that decade — 44% of Phineas's all-time total
1880s51890s101910s381920s331930s291940s151950s231960s261970s261980s471990s762000s6062010s11892020s572

Phineas by state

Where Phineas concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Phineas
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
200 7.4%
#2 New York
155 5.8%
#3 Texas
117 4.3%
#4 Ohio
88 3.3%
#5 Massachusetts
65 2.4%
#6 Pennsylvania
60 2.2%
#7 Illinois
55 2.0%
#8 Utah
52 1.9%
California share of Phineas's total US births 7.4%
Even split

200 of 2,695 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 26 reporting states.

Phineas appears in 26 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Phineas?
2,695 babies have been named Phineas since 1880. It currently ranks #1537 among boys. The peak year was 2016 with 142 births.
When was Phineas most popular?
Phineas was most popular in the 2010s decade with 1,189 total births. The single peak year was 2016.
Where is Phineas most popular?
The top states for the name Phineas are California (200 births), New York (155 births), Texas (117 births).
How long has the name Phineas been used?
Phineas has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Phineas?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Philip, Phillip, Phil, Philippe, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Phineas

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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.