Philemon
Philemon is a given name. In the Bible, the Epistle to Philemon is addressed to Saint Philemon. Notable people with the given name include:Philemon (poet), Athenian poet and playwright of the New Comedy Philemon the actor, a saint who was converted by Saint Appolonius; they were martyred together Philemon of Antioch, Greek Orthodox Patriarch from 1766 to 1767; see List of Greek Orthodox…
Meaning & Origin of Philemon
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Philemon is a given name. In the Bible, the Epistle to Philemon is addressed to Saint Philemon. Notable people with the given name include:Philemon (poet), Athenian poet and playwright of the New Comedy Philemon the actor, a saint who was converted by Saint Appolonius; they were martyred together Philemon of Antioch, Greek Orthodox Patriarch from 1766 to 1767; see List of Greek Orthodox…
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Philemon
Philemon first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1916, with 9 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2017, when 24 Philemons were born — ranking #4,223 that year. As of 2026, Philemon ranks #7,927 for baby boys with 6 births, falling sharply (-60%). In total, more than 921 Philemons have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Philemon
Phonetically similar names — useful when Philemon is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Fellowman
- Flamen
- Feltman
- Fellman
- Fellation
- Flyman
- Fleeman
- Fullman
- Flammen
- Fulmine
- Volumen
- Sulayman
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Philemon
What does the name Philemon mean?
How popular is Philemon in 2026?
When was Philemon most popular?
In which U.S. states is Philemon most popular?
Is Philemon a unisex name?
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About the name Philemon
Philemon is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1916 and has accumulated 921 births in the dataset. Philemon's peak popularity came in 2017 when it ranked #2,130. Use the chart and map above to compare Philemon's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2017 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "P" →
- Browse all boy 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.