boys' name ★ peaked 1960

Phillip

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #651 Trend ↓ Falling 23%
Rank 2025
#651
among boys · ↓25 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
425
named Phillip · -6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,019
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1960
6,076 babies
All-time total
312,891
#115 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Phillip popularity over time

312,891 babies have been named Phillip since 1880, 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
123418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 898 898 90 – #134
1890s – 884 884 88 -2% #140
1900s – 1,161 1,161 116 +31% #152
1910s 11 5,135 5,146 515 +343% #160
1920s 70 9,525 9,595 960 +86% #149
1930s 68 16,534 16,602 1,660 +73% #92
1940s 86 36,989 37,075 3,708 +123% #66
1950s 188 52,457 52,645 5,265 +42% #64
1960s 236 50,396 50,632 5,063 -4% #66
1970s 278 39,845 40,123 4,012 -21% #67
1980s 319 45,707 46,026 4,603 +15% #65
1990s 64 27,972 28,036 2,804 -39% #81
2000s 10 13,473 13,483 1,348 -52% #198
2010s – 7,626 7,626 763 -43% #350
2020s (to 2025) – 2,959 2,959 493 -35% #519

Where Phillip is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 407 0.24 outside top 500
2027 392 0.23 outside top 500
2028 380 0.22 outside top 500
2029 370 0.22 outside top 500
2030 362 0.21 outside top 500

Where Phillip is most popular

Boys named Phillip per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.279 per 1,000. Strongest in Alabama, Oregon, and South Carolina.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Phillip 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Alabama 73 0.668 +140%
Oregon 44 0.580 +108%
South Carolina 59 0.571 +105%
Oklahoma 45 0.509 +83%
Alaska 6 0.504 +81%
Kentucky 48 0.478 +72%
Louisiana 47 0.459 +65%
Missouri 62 0.447 +61%
North Carolina 113 0.443 +59%
Arkansas 28 0.442 +59%
Virginia 82 0.432 +55%
Michigan 86 0.420 +51%
Indiana 67 0.418 +50%
Tennessee 72 0.399 +43%
Georgia 99 0.391 +40%
Colorado 48 0.372 +34%
Washington 60 0.367 +32%
North Dakota 6 0.351 +26%
Idaho 14 0.342 +23%
Wisconsin 40 0.338 +21%
Ohio 88 0.332 +19%
Maryland 38 0.319 +14%
Illinois 77 0.301 +8%
Minnesota 36 0.293 +5%
Arizona 48 0.293 +5%
Florida 138 0.291 +5%
South Dakota 5 0.269 ≈ national
Massachusetts 35 0.255 -9%
Texas 215 0.244 -12%
Utah 22 0.230 -17%
California 209 0.229 -18%
Pennsylvania 58 0.218 -22%
Connecticut 13 0.192 -31%
Kansas 13 0.190 -32%
New Jersey 37 0.184 -34%
New Mexico 6 0.182 -35%
Mississippi 10 0.176 -37%
New York 67 0.155 -44%
West Virginia 5 0.153 -45%
Iowa 10 0.145 -48%
Nevada 7 0.123 -56%
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Phillip

Phillip is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #651 in 2025 with 425 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 312,891 American babies have been named Phillip. Its peak came in 1960, when 6,076 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

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 Phillip stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Phillip?

The median living Phillip is about 51 years old; half are between 37 and 66. An estimated 235 thousand people named Phillip are alive in the United States today.

median 51 020406080100

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

Phillip year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 425 #651
2024 – – 453 #626
2023 – – 455 #616
2022 – – 514 #573
2021 – – 559 #525
2020 – – 553 #519
2019 – – 569 #503
2018 – – 666 #449
2017 – – 727 #427
2016 – – 707 #437
2015 – – 762 #409
2014 – – 798 #390
2013 – – 870 #364
2012 – – 884 #350
2011 – – 779 #378
2010 – – 864 #355
2009 – – 927 #340
2008 – – 1,098 #304
2007 – – 1,175 #292
2006 – – 1,220 #286
2005 5 #18,493 1,233 #268
2004 – – 1,325 #247
2003 – – 1,455 #233
2002 – – 1,553 #226
2001 5 #17,274 1,711 #209
2000 – – 1,776 #198
1995 5 #15,122 2,513 #137
1990 13 #6,755 4,454 #81
1985 39 #2,531 4,496 #69
1980 36 #2,639 4,633 #65
1975 25 #2,937 3,853 #72
1970 36 #2,228 4,275 #73
1965 16 #3,227 4,891 #70
1960 29 #2,182 6,047 #66
1955 16 #2,933 5,411 #74
1950 24 #1,990 5,055 #64
1945 – – 3,081 #85
1940 – – 2,628 #79
1935 7 #3,678 1,783 #107
1930 9 #3,273 1,175 #144
1925 12 #2,903 942 #160
1920 – – 840 #164
1915 – – 628 #180
1910 – – 167 #174
1905 – – 127 #159
1900 – – 127 #166
1895 – – 90 #178
1890 – – 80 #174
1885 – – 87 #157
1880 – – 75 #174

Famous people named Phillip

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Phillip Hughes Phillip Hughes Australian cricketer (1988–2014) Contemporary
  2. 2 Phillip Phillips Phillip Phillips American singer b. 1990 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Phillip Cocu Phillip Cocu Dutch footballer and manager (born 1970) Contemporary
  4. 4 Phillip Noyce Phillip Noyce Australian filmmaker (born 1950) Contemporary
  5. 5 Phillip Rhee Phillip Rhee South Korean actor b. 1960 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Phillip Allen Sharp Phillip Allen Sharp American geneticist and molecular biologist b. 1944 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Phillip Griffiths Phillip Griffiths American mathematician (born 1938) Contemporary
  8. 8 Phillip V. Tobias Phillip V. Tobias South African palaeoanthropologist (1925–2012) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Phillip?

The median living Phillip is about 51 years old. Half of all living Phillips are between 37 and 66 years old.

How many people named Phillip are alive today?

An estimated 235 thousand people named Phillip are alive in the United States, based on 312,891 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Phillip in 2025?

Phillip ranked #651 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 425 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Phillip?

312,891 babies have been named Phillip in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Phillip most popular?

Phillip peaked in 1960, when 6,076 newborns received the name.

Is Phillip a boy or girl name?

Phillip is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Phillip rising or falling?

Phillip is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Phillip become more popular?

Phillip is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 362 boys named Phillip in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Phillip?

Well-known people named Phillip include Phillip Hughes (cricketer), Phillip Phillips (singer), Phillip Cocu (soccer player).

Names like Phillip

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

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