girl's name
Phyllis
FIL-iss
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 323,657
Scotland
#475
1979 births
Phyllis is a girl's name from the Greek for foliage, borne by a mythological princess who was turned into an almond tree. With 323,588 recorded births and a current American rank of 12073rd, it has the weakest present-day position of any name of its size on this site.
- Phyllis is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 1947, when 9,205 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 473,709 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Phyllis over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 153 |
| 1890s | 633 |
| 1900s | 2,023 |
| 1910s | 17,924 |
| 1920s | 62,010 |
| 1930s | 74,065 |
| 1940s | 76,383 |
| 1950s | 57,882 |
| 1960s | 25,772 |
| 1970s | 3,842 |
| 1980s | 1,430 |
| 1990s | 686 |
| 2000s | 295 |
| 2010s | 196 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 73 |
What Phyllis means
Phyllis means foliage, or green leaves. The Greek word names leaves collectively rather than a single plant, so the sense is greenery in general rather than any particular tree or flower.
Where Phyllis comes from
Phyllis is the Greek phyllis, foliage, from phyllon, a leaf — the same root as chlorophyll. In myth she is a Thracian princess who hangs herself when her betrothed Demophon fails to return, and is transformed into a leafless almond tree; when he finally comes back and embraces the bark, the tree bursts into leaf. Ovid tells the story in the Heroides. The name became a standard label for a shepherdess in pastoral poetry from Virgil onward, which is how it reached English — as a literary convention rather than through any saint or family.
Phyllis in use
Phyllis peaked in the United States in 1947, when 9,205 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable only because it has flattened at the bottom. It now charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 12073rd in the United States on 7 births. Against 323,588 lifetime births that is the weakest current position of any name on this site holding more than a quarter of a million — a name once given to nine thousand American girls a year now given to seven.
How popular is Phyllis?
In 2025, Phyllis was given to 7 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Phyllis 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 Phyllis
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Phyllis also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Phyllis over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Phyllis
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.
Phyllis 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.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Phillis
Sibling names for Phyllis
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Phyllis — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Phyllis
What does the name Phyllis mean?
Foliage or green leaves, from the Greek phyllon — the same root as chlorophyll.
Who was Phyllis in mythology?
A Thracian princess turned into a leafless almond tree, which burst into leaf when her returning betrothed embraced it.
How rare is Phyllis now?
12073rd in the United States on 7 births — the weakest current position of any name on this site with over 250,000 births.
Is Phyllis a pastoral name?
Yes — it was the standard name for a shepherdess in pastoral poetry from Virgil onward, which is how it reached English.
How popular is the name Phyllis?
In 2025, Phyllis was given to 7 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Phyllis a girl's or a boy's name?
Phyllis is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Phyllis?
Phyllis has 2 syllables.
When was Phyllis most popular?
Phyllis peaked in 1947, when 9,205 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Phyllis?
Phyllis is usually shortened to Phil.
Is Phyllis a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Phyllis currently ranks #12,073 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.