Phyllis
Phyllis was given to 7 girls in 2025, #12,869 among girls’ names; 323,367 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 134,000 Americans named Phyllis and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (42% of everyone recorded); the median is 75 years old and half are between 68 and 82.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Phyllis by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Phyllis mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Phyllis is “a female given name from Ancient Greek derived from the mythological character.”
From the masculine Ancient Greek Φύλλις (Phúllis) or from the feminine Φυλλίς (Phullís).
/ˈfɪlɪs/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Phyllis?
#12,869 among girls’ names, 2025
Phyllis fell from #5,985 in 2015 to #12,869 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 12.3 to 4.4 per million.
9,205 babies in 1947, the peak
Phyllis peaked in 1947, when 9,205 babies were given it (9,187 girls, #37 among girls’ names). The 7 births of 2025 are under 1% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | #12,869 | under 0.01 |
| 2024 | 13 | #8,313 | 0.01 |
| 2023 | 7 | #13,131 | under 0.01 |
| 2022 | 15 | #7,550 | 0.01 |
| 2021 | 11 | #9,398 | 0.01 |
| 2020 | 20 | #6,023 | 0.01 |
| 2019 | 15 | #7,629 | 0.01 |
| 2018 | 18 | #6,719 | 0.01 |
| 2017 | 21 | #5,984 | 0.01 |
| 2016 | 21 | #6,139 | 0.01 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 22 | #5,985 | 0.01 |
| 2014 | 22 | #5,943 | 0.01 |
| 2013 | 19 | #6,660 | 0.01 |
| 2012 | 13 | #9,001 | 0.01 |
| 2011 | 20 | #6,509 | 0.01 |
| 2010 | 25 | #5,556 | 0.01 |
| 2009 | 23 | #6,044 | 0.01 |
| 2008 | 20 | #6,748 | 0.01 |
| 2007 | 24 | #5,855 | 0.01 |
| 2006 | 25 | #5,508 | 0.01 |
| 2005 | 31 | #4,460 | 0.02 |
| 2004 | 26 | #5,038 | 0.01 |
| 2003 | 29 | #4,498 | 0.02 |
| 2002 | 35 | #3,778 | 0.02 |
| 2001 | 42 | #3,296 | 0.02 |
| 2000 | 40 | #3,384 | 0.02 |
| 1999 | 43 | #3,089 | 0.02 |
| 1998 | 46 | #2,878 | 0.03 |
| 1997 | 56 | #2,381 | 0.03 |
| 1996 | 70 | #2,009 | 0.04 |
| 1995 | 69 | #1,995 | 0.04 |
| 1994 | 69 | #2,035 | 0.04 |
| 1993 | 87 | #1,716 | 0.05 |
| 1992 | 79 | #1,821 | 0.04 |
| 1991 | 82 | #1,757 | 0.04 |
| 1990 | 85 | #1,725 | 0.04 |
| 1989 | 95 | #1,513 | 0.05 |
| 1988 | 115 | #1,275 | 0.06 |
| 1987 | 120 | #1,205 | 0.07 |
| 1986 | 107 | #1,268 | 0.06 |
| 1985 | 129 | #1,124 | 0.07 |
| 1984 | 151 | #959 | 0.09 |
| 1983 | 172 | #884 | 0.10 |
| 1982 | 177 | #874 | 0.10 |
| 1981 | 183 | #852 | 0.11 |
| 1980 | 181 | #857 | 0.11 |
| 1979 | 203 | #783 | 0.13 |
| 1978 | 222 | #713 | 0.14 |
| 1977 | 238 | #664 | 0.16 |
| 1976 | 241 | #644 | 0.16 |
| 1975 | 325 | #531 | 0.22 |
| 1974 | 307 | #548 | 0.21 |
| 1973 | 404 | #457 | 0.28 |
| 1972 | 503 | #399 | 0.33 |
| 1971 | 625 | #374 | 0.38 |
| 1970 | 767 | #341 | 0.44 |
| 1969 | 903 | #302 | 0.54 |
| 1968 | 1,088 | #251 | 0.66 |
| 1967 | 1,396 | #215 | 0.85 |
| 1966 | 1,938 | #173 | 1.1 |
| 1965 | 2,464 | #155 | 1.4 |
| 1964 | 2,895 | #140 | 1.5 |
| 1963 | 3,245 | #131 | 1.7 |
| 1962 | 3,496 | #129 | 1.8 |
| 1961 | 3,844 | #120 | 1.9 |
| 1960 | 4,435 | #108 | 2.2 |
| 1959 | 4,685 | #103 | 2.3 |
| 1958 | 5,081 | #94 | 2.5 |
| 1957 | 5,306 | #90 | 2.6 |
| 1956 | 5,642 | #82 | 2.8 |
| 1955 | 5,689 | #74 | 2.9 |
| 1954 | 5,763 | #75 | 3.0 |
| 1953 | 5,961 | #69 | 3.2 |
| 1952 | 6,151 | #65 | 3.3 |
| 1951 | 6,791 | #57 | 3.8 |
| 1950 | 6,695 | #53 | 3.9 |
| 1949 | 7,315 | #50 | 4.3 |
| 1948 | 7,876 | #46 | 4.6 |
| 1947 | 9,187 | #37 | 5.2 |
| 1946 | 8,048 | #41 | 5.1 |
| 1945 | 6,530 | #40 | 5.0 |
| 1944 | 7,022 | #40 | 5.3 |
| 1943 | 7,610 | #39 | 5.5 |
| 1942 | 7,793 | #37 | 5.8 |
| 1941 | 7,346 | #35 | 6.1 |
| 1940 | 7,416 | #33 | 6.5 |
| 1939 | 7,590 | #30 | 6.9 |
| 1938 | 7,644 | #28 | 6.9 |
| 1937 | 7,245 | #27 | 6.8 |
| 1936 | 7,374 | #25 | 7.1 |
| 1935 | 7,370 | #27 | 7.0 |
| 1934 | 7,180 | #28 | 6.9 |
| 1933 | 7,111 | #28 | 7.1 |
| 1932 | 7,308 | #30 | 6.8 |
| 1931 | 7,213 | #29 | 6.8 |
| 1930 | 7,770 | #28 | 6.9 |
| 1929 | 7,995 | #24 | 7.2 |
| 1928 | 7,924 | #26 | 6.9 |
| 1927 | 7,425 | #29 | 6.2 |
| 1926 | 6,921 | #33 | 5.8 |
| 1925 | 6,486 | #40 | 5.3 |
| 1924 | 6,267 | #44 | 5.0 |
| 1923 | 5,476 | #45 | 4.5 |
| 1922 | 4,935 | #53 | 4.1 |
| 1921 | 4,590 | #60 | 3.7 |
| 1920 | 3,852 | #72 | 3.2 |
| 1919 | 3,189 | #84 | 2.8 |
| 1918 | 3,326 | #80 | 2.9 |
| 1917 | 2,696 | #92 | 2.5 |
| 1916 | 2,427 | #95 | 2.3 |
| 1915 | 2,088 | #100 | 2.1 |
| 1914 | 1,407 | #113 | 1.8 |
| 1913 | 1,054 | #122 | 1.7 |
| 1912 | 779 | #140 | 1.4 |
| 1911 | 527 | #155 | 1.3 |
| 1910 | 392 | #175 | 1.0 |
| 1909 | 352 | #172 | 1.0 |
| 1908 | 288 | #194 | 0.86 |
| 1907 | 262 | #200 | 0.82 |
| 1906 | 195 | #225 | 0.66 |
| 1905 | 183 | #235 | 0.63 |
| 1904 | 181 | #229 | 0.66 |
| 1903 | 150 | #245 | 0.57 |
| 1902 | 164 | #237 | 0.62 |
| 1901 | 124 | #261 | 0.52 |
| 1900 | 124 | #297 | 0.41 |
| 1899 | 111 | #272 | 0.48 |
| 1898 | 108 | #299 | 0.42 |
| 1897 | 67 | #359 | 0.29 |
| 1896 | 69 | #350 | 0.29 |
| 1895 | 65 | #350 | 0.28 |
| 1894 | 56 | #375 | 0.25 |
| 1893 | 53 | #373 | 0.25 |
| 1892 | 31 | #495 | 0.15 |
| 1891 | 31 | #469 | 0.17 |
| 1890 | 42 | #391 | 0.22 |
| 1889 | 25 | #510 | 0.14 |
| 1888 | 29 | #466 | 0.16 |
| 1887 | 18 | #533 | 0.12 |
| 1886 | 20 | #506 | 0.14 |
| 1885 | 11 | #689 | 0.08 |
| 1884 | 16 | #537 | 0.12 |
| 1883 | 15 | #512 | 0.13 |
| 1882 | 8 | #725 | 0.07 |
| 1881 | 5 | #919 | 0.05 |
| 1880 | 6 | #820 | 0.07 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Phyllis a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Phyllis has been given almost only to girls: 871 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Phyllis: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Phyllis, and how old are they?
134,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 42% of the 323,367 Americans ever recorded as Phyllis. The median Phyllis alive today is 75 years old; half are between 68 and 82.
The 2020 Census counted 165,949 people named Phyllis (165,745 women and girls, 204 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 170,844 born in the U.S. The Census count is 3% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 39,100 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 81,500 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 10,800 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 1,740 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 492 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 210 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Phyllis born?
The states with the most babies named Phyllis are New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois, with 22% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 29,709 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| Pennsylvania | 20,590 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Illinois | 20,195 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Ohio | 20,023 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Michigan | 15,134 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| Indiana | 13,607 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| California | 13,543 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Massachusetts | 12,639 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| North Carolina | 10,044 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Kentucky | 9,750 | not ranked | 1.2× |
Where Phyllis is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Phyllis is most over-represented in Indiana: since 1910 it was given 1.6 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Phyllis with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 7 names spelled alike, given to 333,686 babies since 1880, Phyllis is the most given (97% of them).
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Phyllis
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Phyllis and names like it
- Compare Phyllis and PhillisBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1940sPhyllis peaked in 1947.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Phyllis since 1910.
- Ancient Greek namesWiktionary’s origin for Phyllis: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1947The year the most babies were named Phyllis.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Phyllis alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with PMost given first.