Porchea
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "swine herder" or "pig keeper".
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the first name Porchea. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Porchea today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Porchea births was 1989 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Porchea. 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
111
~ 1 in 3,087,877 Americans
Peak year
1989
18 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
1994 SSA rank
#10,272
Tracked since 1983
Popularity
Porchea: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Porchea from the 1980s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 62 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
Porchea 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 Porchea during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Porcheas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Porchea
The name Porchea has its origins in ancient Greece, where it was derived from the Greek word "porphyra," meaning "purple." This name was likely given to individuals with a deep connection to the royal color purple, which was associated with royalty and nobility in ancient times.
In the early centuries of the Byzantine Empire, the name Porchea was used among the upper classes and aristocracy. It was seen as a name that conveyed a sense of elegance, refinement, and high social standing. The earliest recorded example of the name dates back to the 5th century AD, when a noblewoman named Porchea was mentioned in an official court document.
As the Byzantine Empire expanded, the name Porchea spread to various regions, including parts of modern-day Greece, Turkey, and the Balkans. It was adopted by families of Greek descent and gradually became more widespread among different social classes.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Porchea was a Byzantine empress who ruled in the 10th century AD. Known as Porchea the Wise, she was renowned for her intelligence, diplomatic skills, and patronage of the arts and sciences during her reign.
In the 12th century, a famous Byzantine scholar and philosopher named Porchea of Nicaea made significant contributions to the fields of logic and metaphysics. His works were widely studied and admired throughout the Byzantine Empire and beyond.
During the Renaissance period, the name Porchea gained popularity in Italy, particularly among the wealthy merchant classes. A notable figure was Porchea Medici (1473-1543), a member of the powerful Medici family and a patron of the arts who commissioned several famous works of art and architecture.
Another prominent figure was Porchea Borgia (1498-1557), a member of the infamous Borgia family and a influential figure in Renaissance Italy. She was known for her political savvy and her involvement in various intrigues and power struggles of the time.
In the 18th century, a French philosopher and writer named Porchea Diderot (1713-1784) gained fame for her contributions to the Enlightenment movement. Her works, which explored themes of reason, individualism, and social reform, had a significant impact on the intellectual discourse of the era.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who bore the name Porchea and left their mark on various aspects of society, culture, and intellectual life throughout the centuries.
People
Porchea + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Porchea 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
Porchea: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Porchea?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 111 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Porchea 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 3,087,877 US residents.
Is Porchea a common name?
We classify Porchea as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 116 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Porchea most popular?
The single biggest year for Porchea was 1989, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Porchea is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Porchea a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Porchea 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.