Philemon
Masculine name of Greek origin meaning "beloved" or "affectionate".
Name Census estimates that about 727 living Americans carry the first name Philemon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Philemon today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Philemon births was 2017 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Philemon. 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
727
~ 1 in 471,464 Americans
Peak year
2017
24 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,616
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Philemon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Philemon from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 142 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Philemon remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Philemon 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 Philemon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Philemons live
Origin
Meaning and history of Philemon
The given name Philemon has its origins in Greek language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek words "philos" meaning "beloved" or "friend," and "men" meaning "to abide" or "to remain steadfast." This suggests that the name Philemon carries the meaning of a beloved or faithful friend.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Philemon appears in the New Testament of the Bible. The Epistle to Philemon is a book written by the Apostle Paul addressed to a Christian man named Philemon, believed to be a wealthy citizen from the city of Colossae in ancient Phrygia (now modern-day Turkey). This epistle, dating back to around 60 AD, is considered one of the shortest books in the New Testament and deals with the topic of Christian forgiveness and reconciliation.
In ancient Greek literature, the name Philemon is also associated with the character of a comic playwright from the 4th century BC. Philemon of Syracuse was a renowned writer of comedies, and although only fragments of his works have survived, he is considered one of the most celebrated comic poets of ancient Greece.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Philemon. One of the earliest was Philemon of Bithynia, a Christian martyr who lived in the 3rd century AD during the reign of the Roman Emperor Aurelian. He was a prominent figure in the early Christian Church and is venerated as a saint in both Eastern and Western Christian traditions.
Another famous bearer of the name was Philemon Holland (1552-1637), an English translator and scholar known for his translations of several works from Latin and Greek into English. His most notable translation was of Pliny's "Naturalis Historia," a seminal work on natural history that greatly influenced the development of scientific thought in Renaissance Europe.
In the realm of literature, Philemon is the name of a character in the play "The Birds" by the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. Written in 414 BC, the play is a satirical comedy that explores themes of political and social commentary, and Philemon is portrayed as a character who joins the birds in their quest to establish a new city in the sky.
These examples illustrate the rich historical and cultural significance of the name Philemon, which has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds, ranging from biblical figures to scholars, playwrights, and martyrs, across various time periods and regions.
People
Philemon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Philemon 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
Philemon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Philemon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 727 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Philemon 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 471,464 US residents.
Is Philemon a common name?
We classify Philemon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 915 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Philemon most popular?
The single biggest year for Philemon was 2017, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Philemon is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Philemon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Philemon 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.