Parthenia
Of Greek origin, meaning "virgin" or "maiden".
Name Census estimates that about 504 living Americans carry the first name Parthenia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Parthenia today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Parthenia births was 1923 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Parthenia. 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
504
~ 1 in 680,068 Americans
Peak year
1923
28 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
2024 SSA rank
#17,030
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Parthenia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Parthenia from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 198 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Parthenia 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 Parthenia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Parthenias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia recorded the most babies named Parthenia, while Mississippi, Alabama, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Parthenia
The name Parthenia is of Greek origin, derived from the word "parthenos," meaning "virgin" or "maiden." Its roots can be traced back to ancient Greek mythology and culture, where it was associated with purity, innocence, and virginity.
Parthenia was a relatively uncommon name in ancient Greece, but it gained some popularity during the Byzantine era, particularly among Christian communities. It was often bestowed upon young women who had dedicated their lives to religious service or had taken vows of chastity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Parthenia can be found in the writings of the 4th-century Christian scholar and historian, Eusebius of Caesarea. He mentions a woman named Parthenia who was martyred for her faith during the Diocletian persecutions in the early 4th century.
Parthenia was also the name of a 5th-century saint from Constantinople, who is celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Church for her piety and devotion. She is said to have been a nun who lived an ascetic life and performed miracles during her lifetime.
In the Middle Ages, the name Parthenia was occasionally used by members of the Byzantine aristocracy and nobility. A notable example is Parthenia Melissene, a 12th-century Byzantine noblewoman and the wife of the Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos.
During the Renaissance period, the name Parthenia resurfaced in literature and art, often as a representation of virginal purity. The Italian Renaissance poet Gaspara Stampa, born in 1523, wrote a collection of poems titled "Rime di Parthenia," which explored themes of unrequited love and the idealization of feminine virtue.
In more recent times, the name Parthenia has been used sparingly, but a few notable individuals have borne this name. Parthenia Clementine Rudd, born in 1833, was an American writer and educator who published works on philosophy and education. Parthenia Cibull, born in 1931, was an American artist and sculptor known for her abstract and minimalist works.
Overall, the name Parthenia has a rich historical legacy, rooted in ancient Greek culture and later embraced by Christian traditions. While not widely popular, it has been carried by individuals who have left their mark in various fields, serving as a reminder of the ideals of purity and virtue that it once represented.
People
Parthenia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Parthenia as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Parthenia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Parthenia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 504 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Parthenia 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 680,068 US residents.
Is Parthenia a common name?
We classify Parthenia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,447 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Parthenia most popular?
The single biggest year for Parthenia was 1923, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Parthenia is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Parthenia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Parthenia in the SSA data are female. 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.