Phyllistine
A feminine name derived from Philistine, meaning "to migrate" or "immigrant".
Name Census estimates that about 54 living Americans carry the first name Phyllistine. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Phyllistine today is around 72 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Phyllistine births was 1953 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Phyllistine. 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 Phyllistine is about 72 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Phyllistines were born before 1964.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Phyllistine. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
54
~ 1 in 6,347,303 Americans
Peak year
1953
10 babies that year
Average age
72
years old
1961 SSA rank
#7,287
Tracked since 1947
Popularity
Phyllistine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Phyllistine from the 1940s through to the 1960s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 67 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
Phyllistine 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 Phyllistine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Phyllistines live
Origin
Meaning and history of Phyllistine
The given name Phyllistine is believed to have originated from the ancient Philistine culture, dating back to around the 12th century BC. The Philistines were a seafaring people who settled along the Mediterranean coastal plain of what is now Israel and the Gaza Strip. The name is likely derived from the word "Philistia," which was the name of the region they inhabited.
The earliest recorded use of the name Phyllistine can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible, where it is mentioned in connection with the Philistine people. In the Book of Judges, the Philistines are depicted as enemies of the Israelites, engaging in frequent battles and conflicts.
One of the most famous figures associated with the name Phyllistine is Goliath, the legendary Philistine warrior who was slain by the young David in a celebrated encounter recorded in the Book of Samuel. Although Goliath's given name is not explicitly stated, his Philistine heritage and the time period in which he lived suggest a connection to the name Phyllistine.
Another notable historical figure with the name Phyllistine was Phyllistine of Caesarea, a 4th-century Christian martyr. According to historical records, she was born in Caesarea Maritima (present-day Israel) and suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Galerius in the early 4th century AD.
In the medieval period, the name Phyllistine appeared in various chronicles and records, though its usage was relatively rare. One example is Phyllistine of Auvergne, a 12th-century noblewoman from the Auvergne region of France, who was known for her piety and charitable works.
During the Renaissance, the name experienced a brief resurgence, likely due to the renewed interest in classical antiquity and the study of ancient cultures. One notable figure from this period was Phyllistine Trullo, an Italian humanist and scholar who lived in the 15th century and made significant contributions to the study of Latin literature.
It is worth noting that the name Phyllistine has largely fallen out of use in modern times, perhaps due to its association with the ancient Philistine people, who were often portrayed as adversaries in biblical narratives. However, it remains a part of historical records and continues to be studied by scholars and researchers interested in the origins and evolution of names.
People
Phyllistine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Phyllistine 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
Phyllistine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Phyllistine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 54 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Phyllistine 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 6,347,303 US residents.
Is Phyllistine a common name?
We classify Phyllistine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 55.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 80 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Phyllistine most popular?
The single biggest year for Phyllistine was 1953, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Phyllistine is about 72 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 Phyllistine in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Phyllistine a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Phyllistine 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 Phyllistine still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Phyllistine 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 Phyllistine 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 named Phyllistine?
See how many people share the name Phyllistine on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.