Memphis
Girl name · #1494 in 2025 · Very rare
Memphis is currently the #1494 girl name in the United States — 143 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #1919, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 12,587 girls born in 2025 was named Memphis.
Babies named Memphis per year. Source: SSA.
The 110-year story
Memphis first appears in the Social Security records in 1915, when 5 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2022, with 251 babies and a rank of #1024. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Memphis against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Memphis in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Memphis is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Memphis will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Memphis is most common
State-level data for Memphis is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Memphis
Statistically, parents drawn to Memphis tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Artemis, Yehudis, Jenesis, Malayah, and Majesty.
ArtemisYehudisJenesisMalayahMajestyHollisMaelynnMaelyn
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Memphis | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 143 | #1493 |
| 2024 | 133 | #1579 |
| 2023 | 207 | #1164 |
| 2022 | 251 | #1024 |
| 2021 | 218 | #1129 |
| 2020 | 168 | #1308 |
| 2019 | 169 | #1345 |
| 2018 | 145 | #1506 |
| 2017 | 97 | #2018 |
| 2016 | 93 | #2093 |
| 2015 | 105 | #1919 |
| 2014 | 104 | #1922 |
| 2013 | 82 | #2259 |
| 2012 | 58 | #2935 |
| 2011 | 78 | #2369 |
| 2010 | 63 | #2781 |
| 2009 | 86 | #2270 |
| 2008 | 78 | #2441 |
| 2007 | 52 | #3247 |
| 2006 | 47 | #3414 |
| 2005 | 33 | #4195 |
| 2004 | 31 | #4387 |
| 2003 | 36 | #3805 |
| 2002 | 19 | #5897 |
| 2001 | 31 | #4025 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Memphis a popular girl name?
Memphis ranked #1494 among girls in 2025 with 143 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1919.
When was the name Memphis most popular?
Memphis peaked in 2022, when 251 American girls received the name (ranked #1024 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Memphis?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 12,587 newborn American girls was named Memphis. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.