Pharon
An Ancient Egyptian masculine name derived from "Paru", meaning "journey" or "distant traveler".
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Pharon. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 54.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Pharon today is around 57 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pharon births was 1956 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pharon. 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 Pharon. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1956
6 babies that year
Average age
57
years old
1956 SSA rank
#3,838
Tracked since 1956
Gender
Gender distribution for Pharon
Pharon is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 11 total registrations, 6 (54.5%) were male and 5 (45.5%) were female.
Pharon as a male name
- Ranked #3,838 in 1956
- 6 male births in 1956
- Peak: 1956 (6 births)
Pharon as a female name
- Ranked #12,268 in 1986
- 5 female births in 1986
- Peak: 1986 (5 births)
Popularity
Pharon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pharon from the 1950s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 6 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
Pharon 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 Pharon 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 Pharon
The given name Pharon has its origins in ancient Greek, stemming from the word "pharos" which means "lighthouse." The name is believed to have originated in the coastal regions of Greece, particularly around the Mediterranean Sea, where lighthouses were a crucial navigational aid for seafarers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pharon can be traced back to the 3rd century BC, when it was mentioned in the works of the Greek historian and geographer Strabo. He referred to a lighthouse located on the island of Pharos, near Alexandria, Egypt, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
In Greek mythology, Pharon was the name of a legendary figure who was said to have guided sailors through treacherous waters using a bright flame. This mythological connection further reinforces the association between the name and the concept of illumination and guidance.
Throughout history, the name Pharon has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Pharon of Byzantium, a Greek philosopher who lived in the 2nd century AD and was known for his teachings on Stoicism.
Another prominent figure named Pharon was a Byzantine military commander who served under Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century AD. He played a crucial role in defending Constantinople against the Sassanid Persian invasion in 626 AD.
In the Middle Ages, Pharon was the name of a French nobleman and crusader who participated in the Third Crusade (1189-1192 AD) alongside King Richard I of England.
During the Renaissance period, Pharon Spiro (1456-1528) was an Italian humanist scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek literature and philosophy.
In more recent times, Pharon Raica (1890-1942) was a Romanian poet and literary critic who was influential in the modernist movement in Romanian literature.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Pharon throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human civilization.
People
Pharon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pharon 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
Pharon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pharon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pharon 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Pharon a common name?
We classify Pharon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pharon most popular?
The single biggest year for Pharon was 1956, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pharon is about 57 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 Pharon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Pharon a male name?
Yes, 54.5% of people registered as Pharon 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.
Is Pharon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Pharon 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 Pharon 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 called Pharon?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.