Phoebe

Did you know?

A few things about Phoebe you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Phoebe

Phoebe Tonkin

Australian actress (born 1989)

Choose Phoebe and your child shares a first name with Phoebe Tonkin, an Australian actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Phoebe, like who?” Phoebe Tonkin's Wikipedia article is available in 51 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Phoebe Tonkin on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 853 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Phoebe, 1,885 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Phoebe would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryPhoebe has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Phoebes, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearPhoebe is at its all-time high right now: #157 in 2025.
• 📈Then vs nowPhoebe is 3.3× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 2,829 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 853.
• 🚀TrendPhoebe has climbed 96 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #157. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedPhoebe is most popular in Vermont, where it ranks #21, followed by Alaska (#38) and Washington, D.C. (#40). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• 💬MeaningIn Greek, Phoebe means “bright, radiant”. Our records link it to English, German and Greek roots.

About the name Phoebe

Phoebe is a girl name of English, German and Greek origin meaning “bright, radiant”. It has 6 letters and 1 syllable, starting with P and ending in “-ebe”. US birth records list Phoebe for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 2025, when it ranked #157 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #157, with 1,885 babies.

Origin:English namesGerman namesGreek names