Phyllis
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "leafy green foliage".
Name Census estimates that about 115,180 living Americans carry the first name Phyllis. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Phyllis today is around 74 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Phyllis births was 1947 (9,205 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Phyllis. 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
- • Although Phyllis is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 871 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • The typical person named Phyllis is about 74 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Phyllis' were born before 1962.
- • Compared to the 1940s, recent registration numbers for Phyllis have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
115K
~ 1 in 2,976 Americans
Peak year
1947
9,205 babies that year
Average age
74
years old
1971 SSA rank
#4,275
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Phyllis
Out of the 323,361 babies given the name Phyllis since 1880, 99.7% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Phyllis as a male name
- Ranked #4,275 in 1971
- 7 male births in 1971
- Peak: 1940 (34 births)
Phyllis as a female name
- Ranked #8,282 in 2024
- 13 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1947 (9,187 births)
Popularity
Phyllis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Phyllis from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 76,382 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Phyllis 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 Phyllis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Phyllis' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois recorded the most babies named Phyllis, while Alaska, Nevada, Wyoming recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6,220 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Phyllis
The name Phyllis has its origins in ancient Greek, derived from the word "phyllon", meaning "green shoot" or "foliage". It was initially used as a feminine form of the male name Phyllos, which held a similar meaning.
In ancient Greek mythology, Phyllis was a young woman who took her own life out of sorrow after being abandoned by her lover, Demophon. According to the legend, she was transformed into an almond tree, which became a symbol of life and rebirth.
The earliest recorded use of the name Phyllis can be traced back to the 5th century BC, when it appeared in the works of Greek dramatists and poets. It was a relatively popular name among the ancient Greeks, particularly in the regions of Athens and the surrounding areas.
Over the centuries, the name Phyllis has been associated with various historical figures. One notable example is Phyllis Wheatley, an African American poet and advocate for the abolition of slavery, who lived from 1753 to 1784. Her collection of poems, "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral," published in 1773, was highly acclaimed and made her one of the first African American authors to gain recognition in the United States.
Another prominent figure was Phyllis Schlafly, an American constitutional lawyer, conservative activist, and author, who lived from 1924 to 2016. She was known for her staunch opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment and her efforts to promote traditional gender roles.
In the realm of entertainment, Phyllis Diller, an American comedian and actress, made a significant impact with her distinctive laugh and self-deprecating humor. She was born in 1917 and passed away in 2012, leaving behind a legacy as one of the pioneering female stand-up comedians.
Phyllis Shand Allfrey, a Dominican writer and social activist, was a prominent figure in the literary world. Born in 1908, she fought for women's rights and racial equality, and her works, including the novel "The Orchid House," explored themes of colonialism and identity.
Lastly, Phyllis McGinley, an American author and poet, is remembered for her light and humorous verse, often focusing on domestic life and the experiences of women. She was born in 1905 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1961 for her collection "Times Three: Selected Verse from Three Decades."
Notable bearers
Famous people named Phyllis
People
Phyllis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Phyllis 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
Phyllis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Phyllis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 115,180 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Phyllis 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 2,976 US residents.
Is Phyllis a common name?
We classify Phyllis as "Common". It ranks above 99.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 323,361 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Phyllis most popular?
The single biggest year for Phyllis was 1947, when 9,205 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Phyllis is about 74 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Phyllis a female name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Phyllis 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.