Pheobe
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "shining" or "bright".
Name Census estimates that about 696 living Americans carry the first name Pheobe. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Pheobe today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pheobe births was 2009 (49 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pheobe. 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
696
~ 1 in 492,463 Americans
Peak year
2009
49 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,806
Tracked since 1882
Popularity
Pheobe: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pheobe from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 243 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pheobe 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 Pheobe during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pheobes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, Indiana, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Pheobe, while Pennsylvania, Indiana, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Pheobe
The name Phoebe has its roots in ancient Greek mythology and language. It is derived from the Greek word "phoibos," which means "radiant" or "bright." The name is closely associated with the Greek goddess Phoebe, who was known as the personification of the moon and its brilliance.
In Greek mythology, Phoebe was one of the original Titans, the ancient deities that preceded the Olympian gods. She was the daughter of Uranus (the personification of the sky) and Gaia (the personification of the earth). Phoebe was also the grandmother of Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt, the moon, and childbirth.
The name Phoebe first gained popularity in ancient Greece and later spread throughout the Mediterranean region. It was a widely used name among the Greeks and Romans, with several notable historical figures bearing this name.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Phoebe is found in the New Testament of the Bible. In the Book of Romans, the Apostle Paul mentions a woman named Phoebe, who was a deacon (or servant) of the church in Cenchreae. This reference dates back to the 1st century AD.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have been named Phoebe. Some examples include:
1. Phoebe Cary (1824-1871), an American poet and writer, best known for her poems and contributions to the literary world.
2. Phoebe Waller-Bridge (born 1985), a British actress, writer, and producer, renowned for her work on the acclaimed series "Fleabag" and "Killing Eve."
3. Phoebe Ephron (1914-1971), an American playwright, screenwriter, and feminist author, known for her contributions to the women's liberation movement.
4. Phoebe Snow (1950-2011), an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for her unique vocal style and hits like "Poetry Man" and "Woodstock."
5. Phoebe Legere (c. 1712-1781), an American folk hero and Revolutionary War figure, famous for her act of spiking the British soldiers' drink with a laxative during the American Revolution.
The name Phoebe has maintained its popularity throughout various cultures and time periods, with its origins rooted in the rich Greek mythology and language. Its association with the radiant moon goddess and its meaning of "bright" or "radiant" have contributed to its enduring appeal as a given name.
People
Pheobe + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pheobe 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
Pheobe: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pheobe?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 696 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pheobe 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 492,463 US residents.
Is Pheobe a common name?
We classify Pheobe as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,120 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pheobe most popular?
The single biggest year for Pheobe was 2009, when 49 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pheobe is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pheobe a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pheobe 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.