Boy · #10,889 in 2026

Phil

Name: Popularity of the name Phil in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Phil, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Greek Φιλιππος, from a compound of φίλος and ἵππος. Prominent Philips who popularized the name include kings of Macedonia and one of the apostles of early Christianity.

Current Rank

#10,889

Peak Rank

#300 (1959)

Total Babies

20K

5-Yr Trend

-40%

1912

First Year

1960

Last Year

1923

Peak Year

#3971

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Phil

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Phil

Phil first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 12 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1959, when 677 Phils were born — ranking #300 that year. As of 2026, Phil ranks #10,889 for baby boys with 6 births, falling sharply (-40%). In total, more than 20K Phils have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Phil

Phonetically similar names — useful when Phil is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Fill
Fil
Fille
Phyll
Filh
Fell
Ful
Fel
Fele
Phal
Felle
Fehl

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Phil

What does the name Phil mean?

How popular is Phil in 2026?

In 2026, Phil ranks #10,889 among boys' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Phil most popular?

Phil reached its peak popularity in 1959, ranking #300 that year with 677 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Phil most popular?

Phil has historically been most popular in Utah, Oklahoma, Oregon. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Phil.

Is Phil a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Phil is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Phil?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Phil include Orion, Pasquale, Ali. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Phil

Phil is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 20K births in the dataset. Phil's peak popularity came in 1959 when it ranked #300. Use the chart and map above to compare Phil's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.