Phoenix
Phoenix was the 329th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,027 babies. Its best year was 2020, when it ranked 236th with 1,534 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 22 places. More babies were named Phoenix in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning phoenix (mythical bird) · Greek, English
Say it FEE-niks /ˈfinɪks/
- Rank in 2025
- #329 boys, down 93 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,027boys
- Girls and boys
- 40% girls, 60% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20201,534 babies
- Total since 1880
- 40,635babies recorded
What does the name Phoenix mean?
Phoenix is the name of the mythical bird that is reborn from its own ashes. Wikipedia notes that the bird comes from Greek myth and has become a symbol of renewal, regeneration and immortality. Wiktionary traces the word through Latin to Greek phoinix, and Wikipedia describes the given name as a modern one, used for both boys and girls. Wiktionary also notes an unrelated British surname, a respelling of Fenwicks.
φοῖνιξ (Ancient Greek, “phoenix”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: Greek names, names that mean an animal.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Phoenix', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Phoenix (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Phoenix popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #534 | #329 | 567 | 1,027 |
| 2020 | #285 | #236 | 1,116 | 1,534 |
| 2010 | #666 | #376 | 436 | 766 |
| 2000 | #1,367 | #878 | 137 | 180 |
| 1990 | #2,838 | #2,678 | 41 | 25 |
| 1980 | #4,263 | — | 18 | — |
| 1970 | #8,938 | — | 5 | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Phoenix, counting every spelling?
Phoenix is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #333 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #329 for Phoenix on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,047 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix | 1,027 | #329 | 6,309 |
| Phoenyx | 20 | #4,999 | 130 |
| Phoenixx | — | — | 40 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Phoenix?
1,027 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Phoenix (0.28 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Phoenix 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 8 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Phoenix.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Phoenix?
About 24,300 people born in the US named Phoenix are alive today, with a median age of 10; half are between 5 and 16. That makes Phoenix 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.
Phoenix by state
How common Phoenix was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (2.8×), Oklahoma (2.1×), Arkansas (2.0×), Kentucky (1.9×), Iowa (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Hampshire, Maine, Montana.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Phoenix: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Phoenix, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Phoenix · Sibling names for Phoenix
Questions about the name Phoenix
What does Phoenix mean?
Phoenix means “phoenix (mythical bird)” (Greek, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Phoenix?
Phoenix was the 329th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,027 babies. Its best year was 2020, when it ranked 236th with 1,534 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 22 places. More babies were named Phoenix in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Phoenix a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 40% girls, 60% boys given the name Phoenix in the US.
Where is Phoenix most popular?
In 2021–2025, Phoenix was most common in West Virginia (2.05 per 1,000 boys), followed by Oklahoma and Arkansas.