Phyllis
Greek in origin, from phyllon, meaning leaf or foliage. In myth, Phyllis was a woman transformed into an almond tree after her death.
Phyllis in 2025
Phyllis was given to 7 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 21,508th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 473,620 babies born.
The history of Phyllis
Phyllis reached its highest point in 1947, when 9,205 babies were given the name, ranking 72nd that year. Its best-ever ranking was 49th, in 1929.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 323,367 babies have been named Phyllis. Half of them were born before 1940, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Silent Generation.
Phyllis by decade
| Decade | Babies named Phyllis | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 153 | 796 |
| 1890s | 633 | 416 |
| 1900s | 2,023 | 258 |
| 1910s | 17,924 | 139 |
| 1920s | 62,010 | 49 |
| 1930s | 74,065 | 52 |
| 1940s | 76,383 | 61 |
| 1950s | 57,882 | 102 |
| 1960s | 25,772 | 205 |
| 1970s | 3,842 | 613 |
| 1980s | 1,430 | 1,457 |
| 1990s | 686 | 2,844 |
| 2000s | 295 | 5,557 |
| 2010s | 196 | 9,319 |
| 2020s | 73 | 10,315 |
Where Phyllis is heading
Phyllis has fallen 68% over the past decade, from 22 babies in 2015 to 7 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1947 peak — Phyllis is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Phyllis
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Phyllis.