Phyliss
A feminine name derived from the Greek word "phyllis" meaning "foliage" or "green shoot".
Name Census estimates that about 1,048 living Americans carry the first name Phyliss. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Phyliss today is around 71 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Phyliss births was 1951 (70 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Phyliss. 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
- • The typical person named Phyliss is about 71 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Phyliss' were born before 1965.
People living today
1.0K
~ 1 in 327,056 Americans
Peak year
1951
70 babies that year
Average age
71
years old
1983 SSA rank
#9,873
Tracked since 1909
Popularity
Phyliss: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Phyliss from the 1900s through to the 1980s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 549 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Phyliss 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 Phyliss during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Phyliss' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 21 states and territories. New York, Illinois, Ohio recorded the most babies named Phyliss, while Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Mississippi recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 24 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Phyliss
The name Phyliss is of Greek origin, derived from the word "phyllis," which means "green shoot" or "foliage." It is a feminine form of the name Phyllis, which has its roots in Greek mythology.
In Greek mythology, Phyllis was a beautiful young woman who fell in love with Demophon, the son of Theseus. When Demophon left to take part in the Trojan War, he promised to return to her. However, he did not come back for many years, and Phyllis, heartbroken, eventually turned into an almond tree. Upon his return, Demophon embraced the tree, and it burst into bloom, symbolizing the enduring nature of her love.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Phyliss date back to the 16th century. One of the first notable figures with this name was Phyliss Wheatley, a renowned African-American poet who lived from 1753 to 1784. She was the first African-American author to publish a book of poetry.
Another notable Phyliss was Phyliss Shand Allfrey, a Dominica-born author and politician who lived from 1908 to 1986. She served as the first female government minister in the British West Indies and was a pioneering figure in the literary and political spheres.
In the world of music, Phyliss Nelson, an American singer and actress born in 1933, was known for her roles on Broadway and in films. She famously portrayed Roxie Hart in the original Broadway production of "Chicago" in the 1970s.
Phyliss Hyman, an American singer-songwriter and actress who lived from 1949 to 1995, was renowned for her powerful vocal abilities and her contributions to the genres of jazz, soul, and R&B.
Lastly, Phyliss Brandon, an American actress born in 1916, had a successful career on stage, film, and television, appearing in notable productions such as "The Twilight Zone" and "The Andy Griffith Show."
People
Phyliss + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Phyliss 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
Phyliss: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Phyliss?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,048 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Phyliss 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 327,056 US residents.
Is Phyliss a common name?
We classify Phyliss as "Rare". It ranks above 90.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,406 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Phyliss most popular?
The single biggest year for Phyliss was 1951, when 70 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Phyliss is about 71 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Phyliss a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Phyliss 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.
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.