Persephany
A feminine name derived from the Greek goddess Persephone, associated with spring.
Name Census estimates that about 24 living Americans carry the first name Persephany. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Persephany today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Persephany births was 2017 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Persephany. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Persephany. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
24
~ 1 in 14,281,431 Americans
Peak year
2017
7 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2017 SSA rank
#13,758
Tracked since 2011
Popularity
Persephany: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Persephany 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 Persephany during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0 | 24 | 24 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Persephany
The name Persephany is believed to have its origins in ancient Greek mythology and language. It is a variant spelling of the name Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter in Greek mythology. Persephone was the goddess of vegetation and the underworld, abducted by Hades to become the queen of the underworld.
The name Persephone is derived from the Greek words "persephonê" and "pheren" which translate to "to bear" or "to bring forth". This likely refers to her role as the goddess of vegetation and the changing of the seasons. The variant spelling Persephany emerged later, potentially influenced by other languages and cultures.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Persephone can be found in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, which dates back to around the 7th century BCE. This ancient Greek hymn details the abduction of Persephone and the subsequent grief of her mother Demeter, leading to the changing of the seasons.
In ancient Greek literature, Persephone was a prominent figure, appearing in works such as the Odyssey by Homer and the Metamorphoses by Ovid. Her myth was widely known and celebrated in ancient Greek culture, solidifying the name's place in history.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Persephany or its variants. One of the earliest recorded was Persephane of Ephesus, a Greek philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 4th century BCE. Another was Persephoni, a Byzantine empress who ruled as the regent of the Eastern Roman Empire in the 6th century CE.
In the Middle Ages, Persephane de Molay was a French noblewoman and the wife of Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, who was executed in 1314. During the Renaissance, Persephonia Micheli was an Italian botanist and naturalist who lived from 1470 to 1555.
More recently, Persephanie Lazare was a Haitian-American writer and activist who lived from 1887 to 1976 and was known for her work in promoting Haitian culture and literature.
While the name Persephany may have evolved over time and across different cultures, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Greek goddess Persephone, making it a name steeped in mythology and history.
People
Persephany + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Persephany 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
Persephany: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Persephany?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 24 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Persephany 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 14,281,431 US residents.
Is Persephany a common name?
We classify Persephany as "Very Rare". It ranks above 43% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 24 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Persephany most popular?
The single biggest year for Persephany was 2017, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Persephany is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Persephany in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Persephany a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Persephany 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.
Is Persephany still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Persephany in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Persephany can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Persephany as a first name?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Persephany at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.