ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1880 First Year 2026 Last Year 2026 Peak Year #171 Peak Rank 45K Total Count 147 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Phoebe What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Phoebe or Phœbe is a female name, the feminine form of the male name Phoebus (Φοῖβος), an epithet of Apollo meaning "bright", "shining", and “pure”. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoebe%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoebe%5F%28given%5Fname%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * English * Greek Mythology * Biblical * Biblical Latin [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Phoebe](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Madeleine_Lemaire_Phoebe.jpg/330px-Madeleine_Lemaire_Phoebe.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoebe%5F%28given%5Fname%29) 📖 ## The Story of Phoebe Phoebe first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 50 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2026: 1,755 births, good for #171 nationwide. About 24% of every Phoebe on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Phoebe ranks #171 for baby girls with 1,755 births, rising sharply (+43% over the past five years). All told, over 45K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Phoebe Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Phoebe. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Phebe](/phebe) * [Pheobe](/pheobe) * [Phoibe](/phoibe) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Phoebe Phonetically similar names — useful when Phoebe is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Phebe](/phebe) * Fibi * Fabi * Fabby * Phobie * Fubby * Fiba * Feba * Fobi * Freebie * Furby * Fubu Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Phoebe What does the name Phoebe mean? Phoebe or Phœbe is a female name, the feminine form of the male name Phoebus (Φοῖβος), an epithet of Apollo meaning "bright", "shining", and “pure”. What is the origin of the name Phoebe? Phoebe has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English, Greek Mythology, Biblical, Biblical Latin. How popular is Phoebe in 2026? In 2026, Phoebe ranks #171 among girls' names in the U.S., with 1,755 babies given the name that year. When was Phoebe most popular? Phoebe reached its peak popularity in 2026, ranking #171 that year with 1,755 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Phoebe most popular? Phoebe has historically been most popular in Vermont, Maine, Alaska. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Phoebe. Is Phoebe a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Phoebe is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name. What names go well with Phoebe? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Phoebe include Katharine, Cleo, Teri. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Phoebe? Common variants and related forms of Phoebe include Phebe, Pheobe, Phoibe. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names [👧KatharinePeak #171](/katharine)[👧CleoPeak #171](/cleo)[👧TeriPeak #171](/teri)[👧ShaniaPeak #171](/shania)[👧AdalinePeak #172](/adaline)[👧AntoinettePeak #170](/antoinette)[👧TrinaPeak #172](/trina)[👧JeanninePeak #172](/jeannine) ## About the name Phoebe Phoebe is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 45K births in the dataset. Phoebe's peak popularity came in 2026 when it ranked #171\. Use the chart and map above to compare Phoebe's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Names of the 2020s → ](/decade/2020s) * [ Names starting with "P" → ](/letter/p) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.