# Phoebe (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/phoebe/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Greek |
| Meaning | “bright” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈfiːbi/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Phoebs |
| Variant spellings | Phebe |
| US babies named this | 43,663 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 5 / 43,658 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 49,148, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Phoebē, from Ancient Greek Φοίβη (Phoíbē), feminine form of Φοῖβος (Phoîbos, “bright”).

## What it means

Phoebe is grouped under light.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1,023 | 310 |
| 2012 | 1,061 | 301 |
| 2013 | 1,065 | 302 |
| 2014 | 1,104 | 297 |
| 2015 | 1,119 | 288 |
| 2016 | 1,036 | 314 |
| 2017 | 1,021 | 318 |
| 2018 | 1,027 | 320 |
| 2019 | 1,149 | 291 |
| 2020 | 1,181 | 254 |
| 2021 | 1,240 | 247 |
| 2022 | 1,384 | 212 |
| 2023 | 1,591 | 191 |
| 2024 | 1,647 | 183 |
| 2025 | 1,885 | 157 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 5 | 12,741 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2,008 | 24 |
| 2012 | 1,825 | 28 |
| 2013 | 1,992 | 24 |
| 2014 | 2,099 | 22 |
| 2015 | 2,081 | 22 |
| 2016 | 1,975 | 24 |
| 2017 | 2,000 | 21 |
| 2018 | 1,883 | 21 |
| 2019 | 1,753 | 22 |
| 2020 | 1,543 | 25 |
| 2021 | 1,678 | 22 |
| 2022 | 1,531 | 24 |
| 2023 | 1,510 | 20 |
| 2024 | 1,549 | 17 |
| 2025 | 1,542 | 14 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: فيبي
- Danish: Føbe
- French: Phœbé
- German: Phoebe, Phöbe
- Greek: Φοίβη
- Italian: Febe
- Japanese: フィービー
- Polish: Febe

## People named Phoebe

- Phoebe Tonkin, Australian actress (born 1989)
- Phoebe Waller-Bridge, English actress, screenwriter and producer (born 1985)
- Phoebe Cates, American actress, model, and entrepreneur
- Phoebe Bridgers, American musician (born 1994)
- Phoebe Dynevor, English actress
- Phoebe Snow, American singer, songwriter and guitarist (1950–2011)
- Phoebe Fox, British actress
- Phoebe Hearst, American philanthropist, feminist and suffragist (1842–1919)
- Phoebe Cary, American writer (1824-1871)
- Phoebe Holcroft Watson, British tennis player (1898-1980)
- Phoebe Ryan, American singer and songwriter
- Phoebe Nicholls, English actress

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.