Philadelphia
Philadelphia, colloquially referred to as Philly, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, and the sixth-most populous city in the United States, with a Census-estimated population of 1,574,281 in July 2025. The Philadelphia metropolitan area has 6.33 million residents and is the nation's ninth-largest metropolitan area.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Philadelphia
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Philadelphia, colloquially referred to as Philly, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, and the sixth-most populous city in the United States, with a Census-estimated population of 1,574,281 in July 2025. The Philadelphia metropolitan area has 6.33 million residents and is the nation's ninth-largest metropolitan area.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
Origin & history
The Story of Philadelphia
Philadelphia first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1984, with 8 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1984: 8 births, good for #7,397 nationwide. About 71% of every Philadelphia on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Philadelphia last appeared in the published SSA data in 1994, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 34 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Philadelphia
Phonetically similar names — useful when Philadelphia is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Philidelphia
- Philadelphian
- Philatelic
- Arkadelphia
- Adelphia
- Psychedelia
- Solidly
- Solidary
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Philadelphia
What does the name Philadelphia mean?
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About the name Philadelphia
Philadelphia is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1984 and has accumulated 34 births in the dataset. Philadelphia's peak popularity came in 1984 when it ranked #7,397. Use the chart and map above to compare Philadelphia's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1984 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "P" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.