Porfirio
A masculine Spanish name meaning "little purple flower".
Name Census estimates that about 2,337 living Americans carry the first name Porfirio. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Porfirio today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Porfirio births was 1921 (56 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Porfirio. 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
2.3K
~ 1 in 146,664 Americans
Peak year
1921
56 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,776
Tracked since 1903
Popularity
Porfirio: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Porfirio from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 409 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Porfirio 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 Porfirio during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Porfirios live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, California, New Mexico recorded the most babies named Porfirio, while New Jersey, Arizona, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 388 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Porfirio
The name Porfirio has its origins in the Greek language, derived from the word "porphyra," meaning "purple." It emerged during the Byzantine era, around the 5th to 6th centuries AD, and was primarily used in regions with strong Greek cultural influence, such as Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and parts of the Eastern Roman Empire.
Historically, the name Porfirio was associated with royalty and nobility, as the color purple was highly revered and reserved for those of high social status. It was not uncommon for members of the Byzantine imperial family or aristocracy to bear this name, symbolizing their elevated rank and prestige.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Porfirio can be found in the writings of the 6th-century Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea, who mentioned a prominent figure named Porfirio during the reign of Emperor Justinian I.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Porfirio. Among them was Porfirio, a 3rd-century Neoplatonic philosopher born in Tyre (modern-day Lebanon), known for his influential work "Against the Christians." Another was Porfirio Dicante (1470-1543), an Italian humanist scholar and professor of rhetoric at the University of Bologna.
In the 19th century, Porfirio Díaz (1830-1915) was a Mexican general and politician who served as the President of Mexico from 1876 to 1911, during a period known as the Porfiriato. His reign was marked by significant economic progress and modernization, but also by authoritarian rule and suppression of political dissent.
Another notable figure was Porfirio Barba-Jacob (1883-1942), a Colombian poet and writer renowned for his works celebrating the natural beauty and landscapes of his homeland. His poetry collection "Canción de la vida profunda" (Song of the Deep Life) is considered a cornerstone of modern Colombian literature.
In the realm of music, Porfirio Salviati (1825-1906) was an Italian composer and musician who served as the director of the Cappella Musicale di San Pietro in Vatican City, contributing to the preservation and promotion of sacred music traditions.
Despite its Greek origins, the name Porfirio has transcended cultural boundaries and found usage across various regions, particularly in Latin American countries where the influence of Spanish and European cultures has been significant.
People
Porfirio + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Porfirio 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
Porfirio: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Porfirio?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,337 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Porfirio 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 146,664 US residents.
Is Porfirio a common name?
We classify Porfirio as "Rare". It ranks above 94.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,519 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Porfirio most popular?
The single biggest year for Porfirio was 1921, when 56 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Porfirio is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Porfirio a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Porfirio 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.
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.