Filemon
Derived from Greek, meaning "beloved" or "one who loves".
Name Census estimates that about 364 living Americans carry the first name Filemon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Filemon today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Filemon births was 1928 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Filemon. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
364
~ 1 in 941,633 Americans
Peak year
1928
13 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
2022 SSA rank
#12,959
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Filemon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Filemon from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 80 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Filemon by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Filemon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Filemons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, California, New Mexico recorded the most babies named Filemon, while New Mexico, California, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 26 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Filemon
The name Filemon has its origins in Greek culture and language, stemming from the Greek words "philos" meaning "beloved" and "menos" meaning "strength" or "power." This combination suggests that the name Filemon carries the meaning of "beloved strength" or "beloved power."
During ancient times, the name Filemon appeared in various Greek literary works and historical records. One notable mention is in the New Testament of the Bible, where Philemon is addressed in a letter written by the Apostle Paul. This epistle, known as the Epistle to Philemon, dates back to around 60-63 AD and is a personal letter written to Philemon, a Christian leader in Colossae.
The earliest recorded use of the name Filemon can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it was a common name among Greek citizens. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Philemon, an Athenian poet and writer of the Old Attic Comedy, who lived in the 4th century BC.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Filemon. One such individual was Philemon, a Greek grammarian and lexicographer who lived in the 7th century AD. He is best known for his work "Lexicon," which was a valuable resource for understanding the Greek language during that era.
Another prominent figure named Filemon was Philemon of Smyrna, a Greek writer and historian who lived in the 3rd century BC. He is credited with writing a history of his native city, Smyrna, which unfortunately has not survived to modern times.
In the realm of Christianity, Saint Philemon is recognized as one of the Seventy Disciples mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. He is venerated as a martyr in the Eastern Orthodox Church and is believed to have been consecrated as a bishop by the Apostle Paul himself.
Filemon Vance (1785-1839) was an American jurist and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and as the 11th Governor of Ohio.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Filemon, showcasing its enduring presence across different cultures, time periods, and fields of endeavor.
People
Filemon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Filemon as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Filemon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Filemon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 364 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Filemon going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 941,633 US residents.
Is Filemon a common name?
We classify Filemon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 514 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Filemon most popular?
The single biggest year for Filemon was 1928, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Filemon is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Filemon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Filemon in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.