Philomina
Feminine name of Greek origin meaning "lover of strength".
Name Census estimates that about 28 living Americans carry the first name Philomina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Philomina today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Philomina births was 2018 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Philomina. 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 Philomina. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
28
~ 1 in 12,241,226 Americans
Peak year
2018
8 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2019 SSA rank
#17,394
Tracked since 1914
Census
Philomina in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 453 people with the first name Philomina, which placed it at #22,110 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#22,110
National first-name rank
People counted
453
453 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
51.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Philomina
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Philomina is Black at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.5%) and White (13.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Philomina described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Philomina at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.9% · 235
- Asian and Pacific Islander32.5% · 147
- White13.2% · 60
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 5
- Two or more races0.9% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Popularity
Philomina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Philomina from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 27 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
Philomina 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 Philomina 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 Philomina
The name Philomina has its roots in Greek and Latin origins, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek word "philos," meaning "friend," and the Latin word "mens," meaning "mind." The combination of these words suggests the meaning "lover of learning" or "friend of the mind."
In ancient Greek mythology, Philomina was the name given to one of the Muses, the goddesses who presided over the arts and sciences. This association with knowledge and creativity further reinforces the meaning of the name.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Philomina can be found in the writings of the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca, who lived from around 4 BC to 65 AD. He mentioned a woman named Philomina in his philosophical works, although details about her life are scarce.
The name Philomina gained popularity during the early Christian era, as it was borne by several notable saints and martyrs. Saint Philomina, also known as the "Wonder Worker," was a young virgin martyred in the 4th century AD during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Her cult and veneration spread throughout Europe, particularly in Italy, where her relics were discovered in the catacombs of Rome.
Another historical figure named Philomina was Philomina Chénier, a French poet and playwright who lived from 1763 to 1838. She was known for her revolutionary writings and her contribution to the French literary scene during the turbulent times of the French Revolution.
In the 19th century, Philomina Beauvais (1824-1900) was a French nun and educator who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Her commitment to education and social work left a lasting impact on the lives of many underprivileged children.
Another notable figure was Philomina Perry (1865-1936), an English novelist and playwright. Her works often explored themes of social injustice and women's rights, reflecting the changing attitudes and values of her time.
Philomina Belford (1888-1968) was a British artist and activist known for her vibrant paintings and her involvement in the suffragette movement, fighting for women's right to vote in the early 20th century.
Throughout history, the name Philomina has been associated with a love for knowledge, creativity, and intellectual pursuits, as well as a spirit of activism and social reform.
People
Philomina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Philomina 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
Philomina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Philomina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 28 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Philomina 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 12,241,226 US residents.
Is Philomina a common name?
We classify Philomina as "Very Rare". It ranks above 45.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 67 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Philomina most popular?
The single biggest year for Philomina was 2018, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Philomina is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Philomina in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 453 people with the name Philomina, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,110 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Philomina in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Philomina?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Philomina appears almost entirely female. Of the 449 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Philomina?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Philomina is Black at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.5%) and White (13.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Philomina most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Philomina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.9% (235 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Philomina in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Philomina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Philomina 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.
Is Philomina still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Philomina 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 Philomina 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.
How many people share the name Philomina?
Want to know how many Americans are named Philomina? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.