unisex name
Phoenix
FEE-niks
- Origin Greek
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 50,985
the United States
#329
2025 births
Phoenix meant several things at once in Greek — the bird, the color purple-red, the date palm and a Phoenician — and the word cannot be reduced to any one of them without discarding the others.
- Phoenix is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2020, when 2,650 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,080 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1968.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Phoenix over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1960s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 5 |
| 1970s | 114 |
| 1980s | 180 |
| 1990s | 1,736 |
| 2000s | 7,906 |
| 2010s | 17,500 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 13,194 |
What Phoenix means
Phoenix means the mythical bird, but the Greek word equally named a purple-red dye, the date palm and the Phoenician people. All four senses are ancient and none is derived from the others.
Where Phoenix comes from
Phoenix is the Greek phoinix, a word carrying at least four senses in classical use: the bird that burns and renews itself, the color purple-red, the date palm, and a Phoenician. The color is probably the anchor — Phoenicia was named for its purple dye, and the palm and the bird for their reddish tones — but the connections are argued rather than settled. Herodotus reports the bird from Egyptian priests and is openly skeptical of it.
Phoenix in use
Phoenix peaked in the United States in 2020, when 2,650 babies were registered, and our data marks it rising. It charts in all seven markets we track — 288th in England and Wales on 208 births, 329th in the United States on 1,594, 374th in Canada, 454th in Scotland on 13, 461st in Northern Ireland, 632nd in Ireland on 5 and 5942nd in France on 5 — across 50,985 lifetime births. About 38 percent of recorded births are female, making it one of the genuinely mixed names on this site.
How popular is Phoenix?
In 2025, Phoenix was given to 1,594 babies in the United States, ranking #329 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Phoenix is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Phoenix
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Phoenix also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Phoenix over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Phoenix
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.
Phoenix 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 Phoenix
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Phoenix — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Phoenix
What does the name Phoenix mean?
The bird — but the Greek phoinix equally meant purple-red, a date palm and a Phoenician.
Which sense came first?
Probably the color. Phoenicia was named for its purple dye, and the palm and bird for their reddish tones.
Is Phoenix a boys' or girls' name?
Both — about 38 percent of the births in our records are female.
Where is Phoenix used?
All six markets we track, and our data marks it rising.
How popular is the name Phoenix?
In 2025, Phoenix was given to 1,594 babies in the United States, ranking #329 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Phoenix?
Phoenix has 2 syllables.
When was Phoenix most popular?
Phoenix peaked in 2020, when 2,650 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Phoenix?
Phoenix is usually shortened to Nix.
Is Phoenix a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Phoenix currently ranks #288 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.