Philopater
A name of Greek origin meaning "lover of the father".
Name Census estimates that about 164 living Americans carry the first name Philopater. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Philopater today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Philopater births was 2019 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Philopater. 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
164
~ 1 in 2,089,965 Americans
Peak year
2019
23 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,690
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Philopater: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Philopater 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 105 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Philopater remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Philopater 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 Philopater during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Philopaters live
Origin
Meaning and history of Philopater
The name Philopater is of Ancient Greek origin, derived from the words "philos" meaning "lover" and "pater" meaning "father". It dates back to the Hellenistic period, which spanned from around 323 BC to 30 BC, after the death of Alexander the Great.
The name Philopater was initially used as an epithet or honorific title bestowed upon rulers who were considered to be devoted and loving towards their fathers. One of the earliest recorded uses of this name was in reference to Ptolemy IX Lathyros, a Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt who reigned from 116 BC to 81 BC. He was given the epithet "Philopater" for his loyalty and affection towards his father, Ptolemy VIII Physcon.
Another notable historical figure with the name Philopater was Seleucus I Nicator, the founder of the Seleucid Empire. His son and successor, Antiochus I Soter, was also known as Antiochus Philopater, which translates to "Antiochus, lover of his father". Antiochus I Soter ruled the Seleucid Empire from 281 BC to 261 BC.
In the religious sphere, the name Philopater appears in the Septuagint, the earliest Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. In the Book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), there is a reference to a work titled "The Wisdom of Philopater", which is believed to have been a collection of wise sayings or teachings attributed to a figure known as Philopater.
One of the most famous individuals with the name Philopater was Ptolemy XV Philopator Philometor, a king of the Ptolemaic dynasty who ruled Egypt from 47 BC to 30 BC. He was the son of Ptolemy XII Auletes and Cleopatra VII, the last Pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Ptolemy XV was given the epithet "Philopator" in honor of his father, and "Philometor" in reference to his mother.
Another notable figure was Antiochus VIII Philopator, a Seleucid monarch who ruled from 125 BC to 96 BC. He was given the name Philopator as a reference to his love and devotion towards his father, Demetrius II Nicator.
While the name Philopater was primarily used in ancient times, it has been documented in various historical records and texts, reflecting the cultural significance and reverence for filial piety in Ancient Greek society.
People
Philopater + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Philopater 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
Philopater: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Philopater?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 164 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Philopater 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 2,089,965 US residents.
Is Philopater a common name?
We classify Philopater as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 165 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Philopater most popular?
The single biggest year for Philopater was 2019, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Philopater is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Philopater a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Philopater 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.