boy's name

Philemon

  • Gender Boy
  • Syllables 3
  • Letters 8
  • Popularity Rare
  • Births on record 2,636

Philemon is a boy's name with 3 syllables. In 2025 it was given to 10 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.

  • Peaked in France in 2008, when 55 babies were given the name.
  • It has been falling over the past decade in France.
  • First appears in birth records in 1900.
  • 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.

Philemon over time

Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2010s, still in progress — it covers 2010 to 2016, not a full ten years. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2016, not a full ten years.

350
'00 '10 '20 '30 '40 '50 '60 '80 '90 '00 '10 '20
Show the numbers
Births named Philemon by decade in France
Decade Births
1900s 150
1910s 125
1920s 120
1930s 55
1940s 5
1950s 5
1960s 5
1980s 45
1990s 150
2000s 350
2010s (to 2016) 260
2020s (to 2016) 75

How popular is Philemon?

In 2016, Philemon was given to 5 babies in France. It is a rare choice.

Where Philemon is used

Canada #1,606 14 in 2024
France as Philémon #4,817 5 in 2025
England & Wales #6,031 3 in 2017
United States #8,151 10 in 2025

The bar shows how near the top of each country's list the name sits, on a scale where #1 fills the row and #1,000 is a sliver. The figures beside it are the real rank and the babies recorded that year.

French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.

How Philemon is spelled

Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.

Spelling What it is Births on record
Philémon Philémon is a rare spelling of Philemon, written with an acute accent and recorded about 290 times, mostly in France. 290

Names that peaked alongside Philemon

These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.

Parents who like Philemon also like

Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Philemon over the last century — the same taste, a different name.

Sibling names for Philemon

Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Philemon — the two things that make a sibling set grate.

Common questions about Philemon

How popular is the name Philemon?

In 2016, Philemon was given to 5 babies in France. It is a rare choice.

Is Philemon a girl's or a boy's name?

Philemon is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.

How many syllables are in Philemon?

Philemon has 3 syllables.

When was Philemon most popular?

Philemon peaked in 2008, when 55 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.

Is Philemon a good name?

That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Philemon currently ranks #1,606 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.