Phinehas
Of Hebrew origin meaning "the Nubian" or "the bronze-complexioned".
Name Census estimates that about 527 living Americans carry the first name Phinehas. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Phinehas today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Phinehas births was 2022 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Phinehas. 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
527
~ 1 in 650,388 Americans
Peak year
2022
39 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,193
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Phinehas: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Phinehas from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 254 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Phinehas remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Phinehas 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 Phinehas during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Phinehas' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Phinehas
The name Phinehas has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew words "peh" meaning "mouth" and "nehas" meaning "serpent" or "bronze," suggesting a meaning of "serpent's mouth" or "bronze mouth."
Phinehas is a name prominently featured in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the Book of Numbers. It was the name of a grandson of Aaron, the first High Priest of the Israelites. According to the biblical account, Phinehas zealously defended the honor of God and was rewarded with a covenant of perpetual priesthood for his actions.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Phinehas was a son of Eli, who served as a priest in the ancient Israelite city of Shiloh. He is mentioned in the Book of Samuel as having two sons who were corrupt and dishonorable in their priestly duties.
Throughout history, several notable figures have carried the name Phinehas. One such individual was Phinehas ben Jair, a Tanna (Jewish scholar) who lived in the 2nd century CE and is mentioned in the Mishnah, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism.
Another prominent figure was Phinehas ben Hama, a 7th-century CE Jewish scholar and author of the Talmudic work "Iggeret Rav Sherira Gaon," which provides valuable historical information about the transmission of the Talmud.
In the 12th century, Phinehas ben Meir HaLevi was a Jewish scholar and author of the book "Sefer HaHinukh," a comprehensive work on the 613 commandments in the Torah.
During the 16th century, Phinehas ben Joseph Polak was a renowned Talmudic scholar and author of the work "Rama," a commentary on the Shulchan Arukh, a key code of Jewish law.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Phinehas, reflecting its deep roots in Jewish culture and religious tradition.
People
Phinehas + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Phinehas 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
Phinehas: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Phinehas?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 527 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Phinehas 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 650,388 US residents.
Is Phinehas a common name?
We classify Phinehas as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 531 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Phinehas most popular?
The single biggest year for Phinehas was 2022, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Phinehas is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Phinehas a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Phinehas 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.