Nephi
A Hebrew masculine name meaning "growing gracefully" or "God's plant".
Name Census estimates that about 653 living Americans carry the first name Nephi. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nephi today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nephi births was 2007 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nephi. 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
653
~ 1 in 524,892 Americans
Peak year
2007
26 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,561
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Nephi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nephi from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 160 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nephi 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 Nephi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nephis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nephi
The name Nephi is derived from the Hebrew language and can be traced back to the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the Latter-day Saint movement. It is believed to have originated around the 6th century BCE.
According to the Book of Mormon, Nephi was the fourth son of Lehi, a Hebrew prophet who led his family out of Jerusalem and across the Arabian peninsula before settling in the Americas. Nephi is portrayed as a faithful follower of God and a skilled leader, and he played a crucial role in the journey and subsequent establishment of a new civilization.
The name Nephi appears numerous times throughout the Book of Mormon, referring to both the original Nephi and his descendants, who formed a distinct group known as the Nephites. The name is associated with righteousness, leadership, and devotion to God.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nephi is found in the Book of Mormon itself, which was first published in 1830 by Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter-day Saint movement. Since then, the name has been widely used within the Latter-day Saint community, particularly among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Several notable individuals have borne the name Nephi throughout history, including:
1. Nephi (c. 600 BCE), the central figure in the Book of Mormon, known for his leadership, spiritual insights, and prophetic teachings.
2. Nephi Pratt (1828-1900), an early member of the Latter-day Saint movement and a pioneer who participated in the Mormon exodus to Utah.
3. Nephi Anderson (1865-1923), a Latter-day Saint author and educator who wrote several books, including the novel "Added Upon."
4. Nephi Jensen (1876-1957), a Latter-day Saint leader who served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and was involved in the establishment of the Church's welfare program.
5. Nephi Jeffs (1937-2019), a former member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) and a prominent figure in the polygamous community.
While the name Nephi has its roots in the Book of Mormon and is most commonly used within the Latter-day Saint community, it has also been adopted by individuals from various backgrounds and cultures, particularly those influenced by or interested in the teachings of the Latter-day Saint movement.
People
Nephi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nephi as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nephi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nephi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 653 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nephi 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 524,892 US residents.
Is Nephi a common name?
We classify Nephi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 723 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nephi most popular?
The single biggest year for Nephi was 2007, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nephi is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nephi a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nephi 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.