Phinneaus
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "the bright one" or "radiant".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Phinneaus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Phinneaus today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Phinneaus births was 2007 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Phinneaus. 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 Phinneaus. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2007
6 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2007 SSA rank
#11,995
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Phinneaus: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Phinneaus 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 Phinneaus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Phinneaus
The name Phinneaus is derived from the Greek name Phinehas, which has its origins in ancient Hebrew. The name Phinehas is mentioned in the Bible as the name of the grandson of Aaron, the brother of Moses. It means "mouth of brass" or "serpent's mouth", suggesting strength, power, and fortitude.
The name Phinneaus first appeared in the English language during the Middle Ages, around the 13th century. It was a variant spelling of the Greek name Phinehas, which was adopted into English from the biblical text. The name was particularly popular among Puritans in England and later in the American colonies.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Phinneaus can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a medieval census commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Fineaus" in this document, which was a common spelling variation at the time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Phinneaus. One of the earliest was Phinneaus Fletcher (1582-1650), an English poet and scholar who wrote the allegorical poem "The Purple Island". Another was Phinneaus Pratt (1718-1800), a prominent American educator and minister who served as a chaplain during the Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, Phinneaus Parkhurst Quimby (1802-1866) was an American philosopher and spiritual healer who influenced the New Thought movement. Phinneaus Taylor Barnum (1810-1891), better known as P.T. Barnum, was a famous American showman and businessman who founded the Barnum & Bailey Circus.
More recently, Phinneaus Newborn Jr. (1923-1989) was an American jazz pianist and composer who collaborated with many celebrated musicians, including Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
While the name Phinneaus has waned in popularity in recent decades, it remains a unique and historically significant name with roots in ancient Hebrew and Greek cultures, as well as in the religious and literary traditions of the Western world.
People
Phinneaus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Phinneaus 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
Phinneaus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Phinneaus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Phinneaus 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Phinneaus a common name?
We classify Phinneaus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Phinneaus most popular?
The single biggest year for Phinneaus was 2007, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Phinneaus is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Phinneaus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Phinneaus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Phinneaus 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.
Is Phinneaus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Phinneaus 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 Phinneaus 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Phinneaus?
See how many Americans are named Phinneaus on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.