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Very Rare

Pharrah

A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "butterfly".

Name Census estimates that about 200 living Americans carry the first name Pharrah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Pharrah today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pharrah births was 2011 (23 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Pharrah. 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

200

~ 1 in 1,713,772 Americans

Peak year

2011

23 babies that year

Average age

11

years old

2023 SSA rank

#10,951

Tracked since 2006

Popularity

Pharrah: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Pharrah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 148 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.

Babies born per year

06121723201020152020

Decades

Pharrah 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 Pharrah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
2000s01313
2010s0148148
2020s04141

Origin

Meaning and history of Pharrah

The name Pharrah has its roots in ancient Egyptian culture, originating from the word "pr-aa" which translates to "great house" or "palace". This name was commonly associated with the pharaohs, the supreme rulers of ancient Egypt, who resided in grand palaces and were revered as living gods.

During the dynastic period of ancient Egypt, which spanned over three millennia, the name Pharrah was often bestowed upon members of the royal family or individuals of great significance. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name can be found in the Pyramid Texts, ancient Egyptian funerary inscriptions dating back to around 2400 BCE. These texts mention a high-ranking official named Pharrah-ankh, whose name translates to "Pharrah lives".

In later periods, the name Pharrah gained prominence among the ancient Egyptian nobility and elite classes. It was often seen as a symbol of power, authority, and a connection to the divine lineage of the pharaohs. Historical records from the New Kingdom period (c. 1550-1070 BCE) mention several individuals bearing this name, including Pharrah-hotep, a prominent scribe and vizier during the reign of Ramesses II.

Beyond its origins in ancient Egypt, the name Pharrah has been documented in various ancient texts and historical records across different cultures and time periods. In the 5th century BCE, a Persian official named Pharrah-data is mentioned in the Behistun Inscription, a significant archaeological discovery that shed light on the early years of the Achaemenid Empire.

Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who carried the name Pharrah. One of the most famous was Pharrah the Elder, a prominent mathematician and astronomer who lived in Alexandria, Egypt during the 3rd century BCE. His works on geometry and astronomy significantly influenced the development of these fields in the ancient world.

Another well-known individual was Pharrah ibn Ishaq, a 9th century Arab scholar and physician who made significant contributions to the field of medicine. His treatises on various medical conditions and treatments were widely studied and referenced throughout the Islamic Golden Age.

In more recent times, Pharrah Younan (1901-1978) was a celebrated Lebanese poet and writer, known for her captivating verses that explored themes of love, nature, and the human experience. Her works have left a lasting impact on Arabic literature and continue to inspire generations of writers and poets.

Pharrah has also been the name of several historical figures from various cultures and backgrounds, including Pharrah Noor (1619-1667), a Mughal princess and poet in India, and Pharrah Kaur (1753-1823), a renowned Sikh warrior and leader who played a pivotal role in defending the Sikh Empire against foreign invaders.

People

Pharrah + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Pharrah 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

Pharrah: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Pharrah?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 200 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pharrah 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 1,713,772 US residents.

Is Pharrah a common name?

We classify Pharrah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 202 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Pharrah most popular?

The single biggest year for Pharrah was 2011, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pharrah is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Pharrah a female name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pharrah 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.

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