Memphis
Memphis was the 640th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 437 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 404th with 768 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 9 places. More babies were named Memphis in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning from Egyptian Men-nefer · Egyptian, Greek
Say it MEM-fis /ˈmɛmfɪs/
- Rank in 2025
- #640 boys, down 185 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 437boys
- Girls and boys
- 24% girls, 76% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2021768 babies
- Total since 1880
- 12,735babies recorded
What does the name Memphis mean?
Memphis was the ancient capital of Egypt, near modern Cairo. Wiktionary traces the name through Latin and Greek Memphis to Egyptian mn-nfr (Men-nefer). The city of Memphis, Tennessee, on the Mississippi, was named after it and is famous as a home of the blues and of Elvis Presley's Graceland; the Random House dictionary lists both cities. As a first name it is a recent American use.
mn-nfr (Egyptian, “Men-nefer, name of the city”)
How sure is this? Probable. The Egyptian source is standard; its exact meaning is not given by the sources consulted.
Related names: Memphys.
See also: African names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Memphis', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Memphis', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Memphis popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,494 | #640 | 143 | 437 |
| 2020 | #1,315 | #455 | 168 | 653 |
| 2010 | #2,799 | #611 | 63 | 407 |
| 2000 | #14,391 | #5,791 | 6 | 12 |
| 1990 | — | — | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | #3,779 | — | 5 |
| 1930 | — | #4,359 | — | 5 |
| 1920 | — | #4,734 | — | 5 |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Memphis, counting every spelling?
Memphis has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #628 for boys in 2025, against #640 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Memphis?
437 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Memphis (0.12 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Memphis born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 19 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Memphis.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Memphis?
About 10,000 people born in the US named Memphis are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 5 and 15. That makes Memphis a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Memphis by state
How common Memphis was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Kentucky (4.0×), West Virginia (3.7×), South Carolina (2.9×), Alabama (2.8×), North Carolina (2.2×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Idaho.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Memphis: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Memphis, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Memphis · Sibling names for Memphis
Questions about the name Memphis
What does Memphis mean?
Memphis means “from Egyptian Men-nefer” (Egyptian, Greek origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Memphis?
Memphis was the 640th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 437 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 404th with 768 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 9 places. More babies were named Memphis in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Memphis a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 24% girls, 76% boys given the name Memphis in the US.
Where is Memphis most popular?
In 2021–2025, Memphis was most common in Kentucky (1.40 per 1,000 boys), followed by West Virginia and South Carolina.