How Many People Are Named Phyllis?
An estimated 115,180 people in the United States have the first name Phyllis. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #475 overall. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 74 years old, and Phyllis peaked in popularity in 1947 with 9,205 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Phyllis as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Phyllis paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Phyllis is overwhelmingly female, 871 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 74, Phyllis is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1962.
- Phyllis has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1940s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
115,180
About 1 in 2,976 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
99.7% confidence
Average Age
74
years old
Peak Year
1947
9,205 births
Total Registered
323,361
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Phyllis
Phyllis is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 323,361 total births registered, 99.7% were female.
Phyllis as a male name
Ranked #4,275 in 1971
7 male births in 1971
Peak: 1940 (34 births)
Phyllis as a female name
Ranked #8,282 in 2024
13 female births in 2024
Peak: 1947 (9,187 births)
Phyllis: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Phyllis span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1940s, when 76,382 babies were registered. Phyllis has declined significantly from its peak in the 1940s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Phyllis by Decade
How has Phyllis tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 153 | 0 | 153 | |
| 1890s | 633 | 0 | 633 | |
| 1900s | 2,023 | 0 | 2,023 | |
| 1910s | 17,924 | 39 | 17,885 | |
| 1920s | 62,010 | 139 | 61,871 | |
| 1930s | 74,064 | 260 | 73,804 | |
| 1940s | 76,382 | 240 | 76,142 | |
| 1950s | 57,884 | 118 | 57,766 | |
| 1960s | 25,772 | 68 | 25,704 | |
| 1970s | 3,843 | 7 | 3,836 | |
| 1980s | 1,430 | 0 | 1,430 | |
| 1990s | 686 | 0 | 686 | |
| 2000s | 295 | 0 | 295 | |
| 2010s | 196 | 0 | 196 | |
| 2020s | 66 | 0 | 66 | |
Phyllis by State
Birth registrations for Phyllis span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois. The lowest are in Alaska, Nevada, Wyoming. On average, about 6,220 Phylliss were registered per state.
Phyllis + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Phyllis as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Phyllis
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
Phyllis: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Phyllis?
We estimate approximately 115,180 people named Phyllis are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 2,976 Americans share this first name.
Is Phyllis a common name?
Phyllis is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 323,361 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Phyllis most popular?
Phyllis reached peak popularity in 1947, when 9,205 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Phyllis is approximately 74 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Phyllis a female name?
Phyllis is predominantly female. 99.7% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Phyllis Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Phyllis Smith, Phyllis Johnson, Phyllis Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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