Unisex name ★ peaked 2020

Phoenix

Gender Unisex · 40% girls Rank 2025 #329 Trend ↓ Falling 17%

Phoenix is a modern given name derived from the name for a mythological bird from Greek myth that has become a symbol of renewal, regeneration and immortality.

Rank 2025
#329
among boys · ↓54 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,594
named Phoenix · -20% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,663
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2020
2,650 babies
All-time total
40,635
#747 all-time among boys
First recorded
1968
in Social Security records

Phoenix popularity over time

40,635 babies have been named Phoenix since 1968, 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
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – 5 5 1 – #4,591
1970s 104 10 114 11 +2180% #6,079
1980s 148 32 180 18 +58% #3,413
1990s 764 972 1,736 174 +864% #907
2000s 2,820 5,086 7,906 791 +355% #367
2010s 6,877 10,623 17,500 1,750 +121% #252
2020s (to 2025) 5,351 7,843 13,194 2,199 +26% #236

Where Phoenix 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 995 0.58 #337
2027 968 0.57 #341
2028 946 0.55 #345
2029 928 0.54 #355
2030 912 0.53 #358

Where Phoenix is most popular

Boys named Phoenix per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.730 per 1,000. Strongest in West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

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 Phoenix 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
West Virginia 67 2.05 +181%
Oklahoma 135 1.53 +109%
Arkansas 91 1.44 +97%
Kentucky 142 1.41 +94%
Iowa 90 1.31 +79%
New Mexico 42 1.27 +75%
Nevada 70 1.23 +68%
Ohio 323 1.22 +67%
Oregon 91 1.20 +64%
Indiana 191 1.19 +63%
Mississippi 64 1.13 +54%
Missouri 156 1.13 +54%
South Carolina 116 1.12 +54%
Tennessee 202 1.12 +53%
Alaska 13 1.09 +49%
Nebraska 47 1.08 +48%
Kansas 72 1.05 +44%
Louisiana 107 1.05 +43%
South Dakota 19 1.02 +40%
Michigan 200 0.977 +34%
Alabama 106 0.970 +33%
North Dakota 16 0.937 +28%
Hawaii 14 0.901 +23%
North Carolina 230 0.901 +23%
Georgia 227 0.896 +23%
Arizona 145 0.886 +21%
Idaho 36 0.880 +20%
Wisconsin 101 0.853 +17%
Colorado 106 0.821 +12%
Utah 77 0.807 +10%
Virginia 152 0.801 +10%
Vermont 5 0.796 +9%
Pennsylvania 202 0.761 ≈ national
Minnesota 93 0.758 ≈ national
Washington 119 0.727 ≈ national
Delaware 11 0.725 ≈ national
Florida 340 0.718 ≈ national
California 631 0.690 -5%
Maryland 82 0.688 -6%
Texas 592 0.672 -8%
Illinois 167 0.653 -11%
New York 263 0.607 -17%
Connecticut 41 0.606 -17%
Massachusetts 71 0.516 -29%
New Jersey 103 0.512 -30%
District of Columbia 5 0.339 -54%
Rhode Island 5 0.307 -58%
Montana 5 0.284 -61%
Maine 5 0.258 -65%
New Hampshire 5 0.225 -69%
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 Phoenix

Phoenix is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #329 in 2025 with 1,027 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1968, 40,635 American babies have been named Phoenix, about 60% boys and 40% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2020, when 2,650 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 Phoenix stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Phoenix?

The median living Phoenix is about 9 years old; half are between 4 and 15. An estimated 40 thousand people named Phoenix are alive in the United States today.

median 9 020406080100

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

Phoenix 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 567 #534 1,027 #329
2024 746 #419 1,235 #275
2023 871 #349 1,259 #269
2022 1,013 #317 1,342 #260
2021 1,038 #311 1,446 #247
2020 1,116 #285 1,534 #236
2019 1,027 #313 1,422 #256
2018 908 #350 1,456 #252
2017 861 #362 1,349 #267
2016 730 #440 1,237 #293
2015 700 #453 1,163 #307
2014 637 #491 914 #354
2013 620 #486 790 #380
2012 514 #572 795 #380
2011 444 #645 731 #388
2010 436 #666 766 #376
2009 403 #719 826 #367
2008 425 #706 744 #397
2007 410 #714 695 #419
2006 336 #812 675 #422
2005 287 #882 527 #477
2004 280 #880 418 #552
2003 237 #981 398 #563
2002 150 #1,306 321 #617
2001 155 #1,275 302 #629
2000 137 #1,367 180 #878
1995 97 #1,573 134 #963
1990 41 #2,838 25 #2,678
1985 10 #6,810 – –
1980 18 #4,263 – –
1975 9 #6,308 5 #6,079
1970 5 #8,938 – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Phoenix

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

  1. 1 Phoenix Phoenix Greek mythical figure

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Phoenix?

The median living Phoenix is about 9 years old. Half of all living Phoenixs are between 4 and 15 years old.

How many people named Phoenix are alive today?

An estimated 40 thousand people named Phoenix are alive in the United States, based on 40,635 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Phoenix mean?

Phoenix is a modern given name derived from the name for a mythological bird from Greek myth that has become a symbol of renewal, regeneration and immortality.

How popular is the name Phoenix in 2025?

Phoenix ranked #329 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,027 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Phoenix?

40,635 babies have been named Phoenix in the United States since 1968, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Phoenix most popular?

Phoenix peaked in 2020, when 2,650 newborns received the name.

Is Phoenix a boy or girl name?

Phoenix is used for both: about 40% of babies named Phoenix have been girls and 60% boys.

Is the name Phoenix rising or falling?

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

Will Phoenix become more popular?

Phoenix is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 912 boys named Phoenix in 2030, which would rank around #358. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Phoenix?

Well-known people named Phoenix include Phoenix (politician).

Names like Phoenix

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

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