Phor
A Thai name meaning "abundant" or "prolific" in prosperity.
Name Census estimates that about 58 living Americans carry the first name Phor. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Phor today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Phor births was 2021 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Phor. 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 Phor. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
58
~ 1 in 5,909,558 Americans
Peak year
2021
14 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,775
Tracked since 2019
Popularity
Phor: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Phor from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 50 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
Phor 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 Phor 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 Phor
The name Phor has its origins in ancient Mesopotamia, specifically in the region of Sumer, which is now part of modern-day Iraq. It is believed to have emerged around the 3rd millennium BCE, during the height of the Sumerian civilization. The name is derived from the Sumerian word "phor," which means "to shine" or "to illuminate."
In the Sumerian culture, names often held great significance and were chosen to reflect the characteristics or aspirations that parents had for their children. The name Phor was likely given to newborns with the hope that they would grow up to be bright and illuminating individuals, both figuratively and literally.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Phor can be found in the Sumerian King List, an ancient manuscript that chronicled the rulers of various Sumerian city-states. In this text, a king named Phor is mentioned as having reigned over the city of Uruk around the 27th century BCE.
Throughout the centuries, the name Phor has made occasional appearances in various historical records and texts. In ancient Greek mythology, there was a figure named Phor who was said to be a minor deity associated with the sun and light. Additionally, in the 5th century BCE, a renowned philosopher and mathematician from ancient Greece named Phor of Cyzicus made significant contributions to the field of mathematics.
During the Middle Ages, the name Phor resurfaced in various regions of Europe. One notable figure was Phor of Rheims, a 9th-century Frankish scholar and theologian who played a crucial role in the Carolingian Renaissance.
In the 16th century, a Portuguese explorer named Phor Fernandes de Queirós is credited with being one of the first Europeans to discover the islands of Vanuatu in the South Pacific. His voyage and discoveries were documented in historical accounts of the time.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Phor Bundry was a renowned French architect who designed several iconic buildings in Paris, including the Palais Garnier, which is now home to the famous Paris Opera.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Phor, demonstrating its enduring presence across various cultures and eras.
People
Phor + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Phor 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
Phor: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Phor?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 58 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Phor 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 5,909,558 US residents.
Is Phor a common name?
We classify Phor as "Very Rare". It ranks above 56.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 58 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Phor most popular?
The single biggest year for Phor was 2021, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Phor is about 5 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 Phor in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Phor a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Phor 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 Phor still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Phor 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 Phor 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 people are called Phor?
You can see how many people share the name Phor on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.