Find out how popular the first name Filomena has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Filomena by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Filomena is exclusively a female name.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 37 female babies and 0 male babies born with the name Filomena.

The history of the first name Filomena

The name Filomena has its origins in Greek, and is derived from the Greek word "philos" meaning "beloved" and "menos" meaning "mind" or "spirit". It is a feminine form of the masculine name Philomenos. The name can be translated to mean "lover of strength" or "lover of fortitude".

In ancient Greek mythology, Philomela was a princess who was raped by her brother-in-law Tereus. After her tongue was cut out to prevent her from revealing the crime, she wove her story into a tapestry which she sent to her sister Procne. The two sisters eventually took revenge on Tereus by killing his son and serving him to Tereus as food. The gods then transformed Philomela into a nightingale, and Procne into a swallow.

The name Filomena appears to have been in use in various forms across Europe since the Middle Ages. One of the earliest recorded instances is in the 12th century, when a Filomena de Briouze was mentioned in records from Normandy, France.

In the 13th century, a Filomena de Lusignan, who was a daughter of the King of Cyprus and Jerusalem, became a notable figure. She was married to a Prince of Antioch and played a role in the political intrigues of the time.

During the Italian Renaissance, the name gained popularity in Italy, where it was sometimes spelled as Filumena or Filumina. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Filomena Beauharnais (1798-1844), who was the daughter of Eugène de Beauharnais and thus the granddaughter of Joséphine de Beauharnais, the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte.

In the 19th century, Saint Filomena, also known as Saint Philomena, became a revered figure in the Catholic Church, although her historical existence is somewhat disputed. According to tradition, she was a young Greek princess who was martyred in Rome during the reign of Emperor Diocletian in the early 4th century.

Other notable individuals with the name Filomena include Filomena Spira (1776-1842), an Italian artist and engraver, and Filomena Mendoza Batil (1945-2022), a Filipino politician and educator who served as a member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Filomena was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Filomena, please contact us.

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