girl's name
Phoebe
FEE-bee
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 100 (E&W)
- Births on record 99,386
the United States
#157
2025 births
Phoebe is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "bright" or "radiant." It comes from phoibos, shining, and belonged to a Titan associated with the moon — the same root that gives Apollo his epithet Phoebus.
- Phoebe is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in England and Wales in 2008, when 2,116 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in England and Wales.
- Today about 1 in 342 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1996.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Phoebe over time
Births per decade in England and Wales, 1990s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 4,783 |
| 2000s | 15,369 |
| 2010s | 19,646 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 9,353 |
What Phoebe means
Phoebe means bright, shining or radiant. The word describes brilliance and purity of light rather than color, and was applied to both the moon and the sun.
Where Phoebe comes from
Phoebe transliterates the Greek Phoibe, the feminine of phoibos, bright or pure. In myth Phoebe was a Titan, grandmother of Apollo and Artemis, and the name became a poetic word for the moon in the same way Phoebus stood for the sun. It is one of the few classical names with a New Testament warrant: Paul commends a deacon named Phoebe in the letter to the Romans, which allowed Puritan families to use it when most Greek mythological names were off limits. Saturn's moon Phoebe, discovered in 1899, keeps the lunar association alive.
Phoebe in use
Our data shows Phoebe peaking in 2008 — it is still climbing rather than settling — and it sits at 14 in England and Wales against roughly 157 in the United States. It is one of very few names to reach English through both Greek myth and the Bible.
How popular is Phoebe?
In 2025, Phoebe was given to 1,542 babies in England and Wales, ranking #14 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Where Phoebe is used
Figures for England and Wales withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. Data & sources.
How Phoebe is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Phoebé | Phoebé is a rare spelling of Phoebe, written with an acute accent and recorded about 35 times, mostly in France. | 35 |
Names that peaked alongside Phoebe
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Phoebe also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Phoebe over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Phoebe
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Phoebe in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Phoebe
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Phoebe — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Phoebe
What does the name Phoebe mean?
Phoebe means "bright" or "radiant," from the Greek phoibos, shining.
Is Phoebe in the Bible?
Yes. Paul commends a deacon of the church named Phoebe in Romans 16, which is why the name survived periods when Greek myth names were avoided.
Is Phoebe still rising?
Our data records its peak in 2025, meaning it has not yet turned. It is a top fifteen name in England and Wales.
How popular is the name Phoebe?
In 2025, Phoebe was given to 1,542 babies in England and Wales, ranking #14 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Is Phoebe a girl's or a boy's name?
Phoebe is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Phoebe?
Phoebe has 2 syllables.
When was Phoebe most popular?
Phoebe peaked in 2008, when 2,116 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Phoebe?
Phoebe is usually shortened to Bee and Fifi.
Is Phoebe a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Phoebe currently ranks #14 in England and Wales. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.