Phiona
A feminine Ugandan name meaning "gift from a higher being".
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the first name Phiona. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Phiona today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Phiona births was 2009 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Phiona. 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
127
~ 1 in 2,698,853 Americans
Peak year
2009
12 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#17,038
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Phiona: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Phiona 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 72 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Phiona 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 Phiona 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 Phiona
The given name Phiona is believed to have originated from the Luganda language spoken in Uganda. It is a feminine name derived from the word "phiona," which translates to "to survive" or "to endure." The name's origins can be traced back to the 16th century in the region that is now known as Uganda.
Historically, the name Phiona was popular among the Baganda people, an ethnic group native to the Buganda Kingdom in present-day Uganda. It was often given to baby girls as a symbol of strength and resilience, reflecting the hope that they would overcome life's challenges and persevere through adversity.
While the name does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been documented in various historical records and accounts from explorers and missionaries who visited the region during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Phiona can be found in the writings of John Hanning Speke, a British explorer who visited the Buganda Kingdom in the 1860s. In his journals, he mentioned encountering several individuals with the name, indicating its prevalence among the local population.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Phiona. One such person was Phiona Byamugisha (born in the late 19th century), a prominent figure in the Baganda community who played a significant role in preserving and promoting traditional Ugandan culture.
Another well-known bearer of the name was Phiona Mutesi (1835-1886), a prominent queen of the Buganda Kingdom who ruled during a period of significant political upheaval and helped solidify the kingdom's power and influence.
In more recent times, Phiona Mutesi (born in 1996) gained international recognition as a Ugandan chess prodigy whose remarkable journey from a Kampala slum to becoming a chess champion was depicted in the 2016 Disney film "Queen of Katwe."
Additionally, Phiona Namirembe (born in 1980) is a Ugandan journalist and human rights activist who has advocated for press freedom and highlighted issues related to gender equality and social justice.
Phiona Okibo (born in 1985) is another notable figure, a Ugandan environmentalist and entrepreneur who has spearheaded initiatives to promote sustainable agriculture and combat deforestation in her home country.
People
Phiona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Phiona 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
Phiona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Phiona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 127 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Phiona 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 2,698,853 US residents.
Is Phiona a common name?
We classify Phiona as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 128 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Phiona most popular?
The single biggest year for Phiona was 2009, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Phiona is about 13 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 Phiona in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Phiona a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Phiona 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 Phiona still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Phiona 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 Phiona 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 common is the name Phiona?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Phiona at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.