girls' name ★ peaked 2022

Persephone

Meaning From Ancient Greek Περσεφόνη (Persephónē) Gender Girl Rank 2025 #735 Trend ↑ Rising 36%

From Ancient Greek Περσεφόνη (Persephónē).

Rank 2025
#735
among girls · ↑1 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
372
named Persephone · -3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,321
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2022
429 babies
All-time total
4,960
#2,595 all-time among girls
First recorded
1962
in Social Security records

Persephone popularity over time

4,960 babies have been named Persephone since 1962, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.080.150.230.318801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2022Girls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s 38 4 – #5,663
1970s 97 10 +155% #4,383
1980s 71 7 -27% #6,064
1990s 141 14 +99% #4,466
2000s 465 47 +230% #2,265
2010s 1,887 189 +306% #926
2020s (to 2025) 2,261 377 +100% #683

Where Persephone is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 394 0.25 outside top 500
2027 414 0.26 outside top 500
2028 432 0.27 outside top 500
2029 448 0.28 outside top 500
2030 462 0.29 outside top 500

Where Persephone is most popular

Girls named Persephone per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.238 per 1,000. Strongest in New Mexico, Alaska, and Oregon.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Persephone born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Mexico 26 1.07 +350%
Alaska 6 0.697 +193%
Oregon 43 0.660 +178%
Oklahoma 45 0.611 +157%
Idaho 19 0.568 +139%
Nevada 24 0.517 +117%
Kansas 26 0.451 +90%
Washington 58 0.402 +69%
Iowa 23 0.394 +66%
Arizona 54 0.385 +62%
Utah 32 0.384 +62%
Arkansas 20 0.378 +59%
Wisconsin 38 0.369 +55%
Colorado 38 0.340 +43%
Michigan 61 0.335 +41%
Pennsylvania 79 0.334 +41%
Missouri 39 0.324 +36%
Ohio 72 0.303 +28%
Tennessee 47 0.297 +25%
Illinois 66 0.288 +21%
Texas 225 0.280 +18%
Virginia 47 0.276 +16%
Kentucky 23 0.269 +13%
Indiana 37 0.264 +11%
Georgia 58 0.255 +7%
North Carolina 55 0.242 ≈ national
Massachusetts 27 0.223 -6%
Florida 88 0.206 -13%
California 172 0.205 -14%
Minnesota 22 0.204 -14%
New York 71 0.179 -25%
Maryland 17 0.160 -32%
Louisiana 14 0.160 -33%
Alabama 15 0.160 -33%
Nebraska 5 0.139 -41%
Connecticut 6 0.103 -57%
New Jersey 16 0.089 -63%
South Carolina 5 0.056 -77%
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Persephone

Persephone is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #735 in 2025 with 372 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1962, 4,960 American babies have been named Persephone. Its peak came in 2022, when 429 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Persephone stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Persephone?

The median living Persephone is about 6 years old; half are between 3 and 12. An estimated 4,900 people named Persephone are alive in the United States today.

median 6 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Persephone year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 372 #735
2024 383 #736
2023 377 #748
2022 429 #683
2021 367 #775
2020 333 #820
2019 287 #926
2018 236 #1,078
2017 226 #1,119
2016 196 #1,250
2015 178 #1,334
2014 203 #1,203
2013 171 #1,368
2012 143 #1,547
2011 136 #1,596
2010 111 #1,841
2009 87 #2,265
2008 59 #2,987
2007 64 #2,847
2006 59 #2,934
2005 47 #3,308
2004 43 #3,479
2003 45 #3,278
2002 19 #6,067
2001 22 #5,327
2000 20 #5,638
1995 16 #5,882
1990 13 #6,752
1985 6 #10,271
1980 9 #7,224
1975 8 #6,951
1970 9 #5,700
1965 7 #5,663
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Persephone, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Persephone?

The median living Persephone is about 6 years old. Half of all living Persephones are between 3 and 12 years old.

How many people named Persephone are alive today?

An estimated 4,900 people named Persephone are alive in the United States, based on 4,960 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Persephone mean?

From Ancient Greek Περσεφόνη (Persephónē).

How popular is the name Persephone in 2025?

Persephone ranked #735 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 372 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Persephone?

4,960 babies have been named Persephone in the United States since 1962, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Persephone most popular?

Persephone peaked in 2022, when 429 newborns received the name.

Is Persephone a boy or girl name?

Persephone is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Persephone rising or falling?

Persephone is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Persephone become more popular?

Persephone is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 462 girls named Persephone in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Persephone

Names that sound and feel close to Persephone: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Persephone with similar names → More names starting with P →