Phadra
Of Greek origin, a feminine name meaning "shining, bright, luminous one".
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Phadra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Phadra today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Phadra births was 1970 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Phadra. 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 Phadra. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1970
5 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
1990 SSA rank
#14,588
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Phadra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Phadra from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Phadra 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 Phadra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Phadra
The name Phadra finds its roots in the ancient Greek language, dating back to the classical era of ancient Greece. It is believed to be derived from the Greek word "phaedros," which translates to "bright" or "shining." The name was initially associated with brightness, radiance, and luminosity.
In Greek mythology, Phadra was the name of a tragic figure, the daughter of King Minos of Crete and Pasiphaë. She was cursed by the goddess Aphrodite for refusing to honor her and fell into an incestuous love with her stepson, Hippolytus. This tragic tale is recounted in Euripides' play "Hippolytus," which was written in the 5th century BCE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Phadra can be found in the works of ancient Greek historians and playwrights. Plutarch, the famous biographer and essayist from the 1st century CE, mentioned a woman named Phadra in his writings.
Throughout history, the name Phadra has been borne by several notable individuals. One such figure was Phadra the Elder, a Roman matron who lived during the 1st century BCE. She was the wife of Titus Annius Milō, a famous Roman politician and orator.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Phadra of Corinth, a Greek philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 4th century BCE. She is credited with contributing to the development of early mathematical concepts and is considered one of the few female philosophers of ancient Greece.
In the realm of literature, Phadra was the name of a character in the 17th-century French playwright Jean Racine's tragedy "Phèdre." This play was inspired by the ancient Greek myth and helped popularize the name in French-speaking regions.
During the Renaissance period, Phadra was the name of an Italian painter and sculptor who lived in the 16th century. Her full name was Phadra Zamperini, and she was known for her talented portraiture and religious artworks.
Lastly, Phadra was also the name of a Byzantine empress who ruled as regent alongside her sons in the 9th century CE. Empress Phadra played a crucial role in the political affairs of the Byzantine Empire during a tumultuous period.
People
Phadra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Phadra 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
Phadra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Phadra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Phadra 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 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Phadra a common name?
We classify Phadra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Phadra most popular?
The single biggest year for Phadra was 1970, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Phadra is about 43 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 Phadra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Phadra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Phadra 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 Phadra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Phadra 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 Phadra 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 are named Phadra?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.