Philomena
Girl name · #1912 in 2025 · Very rare
Philomena ranks #1912 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 101 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #2351, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 17,822 girls born in 2025 was named Philomena.
Babies named Philomena per year. Source: SSA.
The 145-year story
Philomena first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 10 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1922, when 308 girls were named Philomena — good for #371 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. 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 Philomena against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Philomena in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Philomena is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Philomena will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Philomena is most common
State-level data for Philomena 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 Philomena
Statistically, parents drawn to Philomena tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Georgiana, Wilhelmina, Verena, Filomena, and Faustina.
GeorgianaWilhelminaVerenaFilomenaFaustinaLaviniaNovellaLeonora
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Philomena | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 101 | #1911 |
| 2024 | 111 | #1810 |
| 2023 | 80 | #2288 |
| 2022 | 83 | #2253 |
| 2021 | 77 | #2345 |
| 2020 | 86 | #2115 |
| 2019 | 92 | #2056 |
| 2018 | 87 | #2159 |
| 2017 | 92 | #2097 |
| 2016 | 93 | #2093 |
| 2015 | 78 | #2351 |
| 2014 | 67 | #2615 |
| 2013 | 43 | #3573 |
| 2012 | 41 | #3782 |
| 2011 | 41 | #3723 |
| 2010 | 31 | #4608 |
| 2009 | 19 | #6811 |
| 2008 | 24 | #5750 |
| 2007 | 33 | #4475 |
| 2006 | 25 | #5383 |
| 2005 | 23 | #5437 |
| 2004 | 27 | #4816 |
| 2003 | 18 | #6299 |
| 2002 | 17 | #6392 |
| 2001 | 15 | #6956 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Philomena a popular girl name?
Philomena ranked #1912 among girls in 2025 with 101 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2351.
When was the name Philomena most popular?
Philomena peaked in 1922, when 308 American girls received the name (ranked #371 that year). Since 1922 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Philomena?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 17,822 newborn American girls was named Philomena. 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.