Girls' name · since 1880
Phyllis
322,496 babies named Phyllis in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1947. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #122 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #11,949 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 322,496
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
322,496 babies have been named Phyllis since 1880, making it today's #11949 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Phyllis recorded 322,496 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #11949 nationally today, ahead of 31% of girls, peaking in the 1940s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #122 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #11,949 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 322,496 born since 1880
- 1940s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Phyllis ranks #122 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #11,949 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 322,496 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.
- #122 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #11,949 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 322,496
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
Phyllis's 322,496 recorded births place it above 99.83% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Phyllis compares
322,496 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Phyllis's all-time total is 858x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Phyllis | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 322,496 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 9,187 | 21 | 19,840 |
Phyllis's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Phyllis's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 22% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 78%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1881, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1947 peak of 9,187, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Phyllis popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 9,187
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Phyllis popularity over time - boys
871 total births recorded since 1913 (Phyllis as boys' name)
Phyllis by decade
1940s is the heaviest window (76,143 births, 24% of the file).
1940s was Phyllis's strongest decade.
76,143 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Phyllis births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 153
1880s
153 births
- 1890s 633
1890s
633 births
- 1900s 2,023
1900s
2,023 births
- 1910s 17,885
1910s
17,885 births
- 1920s
1920s
61,871 births
- 1930s
1930s
73,805 births
- 1940s
1940s
76,143 births
- 1950s
1950s
57,764 births
- 1960s 25,704
1960s
25,704 births
- 1970s 3,835
1970s
3,835 births
- 1980s 1,430
1980s
1,430 births
- 1990s 686
1990s
686 births
- 2000s 295
2000s
295 births
- 2010s 196
2010s
196 births
- 2020s 73
2020s
73 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 76,143 births (24% of all-time use).
How Phyllis 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 Phyllis's total volume
Phyllis by state
Where Phyllis concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 29,687 | 9.2% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 20,580 | 6.4% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 20,195 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 20,023 | 6.2% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 15,134 | 4.7% |
| #6 | Indiana | | 13,607 | 4.2% |
| #7 | California | | 13,543 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 12,639 | 3.9% |
29,687 of 322,496 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Phyllis appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Phyllis? ▼
Where does Phyllis sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Phyllis most popular? ▼
Where is Phyllis most popular? ▼
How long has the name Phyllis been used? ▼
What names are similar to Phyllis? ▼
What to do with Phyllis's data
- Phyllis's decade-level peak was the 1940s (76,143 total births); usage has since declined to 73 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Phylliss (29,687 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 Phyllis
Nearby Names Like Phyllis
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Phyllis
Compare Phyllis side by side: Phyllis vs Phylis Phyllis vs Phyliss Phyllis vs Phylicia
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Phyllis
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Phyllis: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1947)
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 Phyllis 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.