Philander
A masculine name derived from Greek, meaning "lover, friend of men".
Name Census estimates that about 218 living Americans carry the first name Philander. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Philander today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Philander births was 1964 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Philander. 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
218
~ 1 in 1,572,268 Americans
Peak year
1964
15 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
2004 SSA rank
#12,739
Tracked since 1910
Popularity
Philander: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Philander from the 1910s through to the 2000s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 74 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Philander 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 Philander during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Philanders live
Origin
Meaning and history of Philander
The name Philander is derived from the Greek name Philandros, which is a combination of the Greek words "philos" meaning "lover" and "andros" meaning "man". This name has its roots in ancient Greek culture and mythology, dating back to the classical period of ancient Greece.
Philander was a relatively uncommon name in ancient Greece, but it gained some popularity in the Hellenistic period, which began in the 4th century BCE. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, who mentioned a character named Philander in his work "The Republic".
In the Middle Ages, the name Philander was occasionally used in Europe, particularly in areas influenced by Greek culture, such as the Byzantine Empire and parts of Italy. However, it remained a relatively rare name until the Renaissance period, when there was a renewed interest in classical Greek literature and culture.
One of the most notable individuals named Philander in history was Philander Priestley (1675-1744), an English theologian and writer who authored several works on religion and philosophy. Another notable figure was Philander Chase (1775-1852), an American Episcopal bishop and founder of Kenyon College in Ohio.
In the 19th century, the name Philander gained some popularity in the United States. Philander C. Knox (1853-1921) was a prominent American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of State under President William Howard Taft.
Another notable individual named Philander was Philander Deming (1829-1900), an American Civil War veteran and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut.
Philander Harris (1904-1993) was an American blues singer and guitarist who was active in the 1920s and 1930s and is considered one of the pioneers of the Memphis blues style.
While the name Philander has fallen out of widespread use in modern times, it remains a unique and historically significant name with roots in ancient Greek culture and mythology.
People
Philander + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Philander 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
Philander: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Philander?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 218 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Philander 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 1,572,268 US residents.
Is Philander a common name?
We classify Philander as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 297 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Philander most popular?
The single biggest year for Philander was 1964, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Philander is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Philander a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Philander 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.
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.