Girl's name
Phoebe
Say it FEE-bee
Greek origin bright
2 syllables
Where Phoebe is loved, common and rare
Common across the UK, Ireland and four more places. Rare in Canada, Cologne, the Netherlands and six more places.
1 in 140 girls born in Northern Ireland in 2025
England and Wales 14thNorthern Ireland 25thScotland 47th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 19 of the 40 official lists, among them England and Wales (14th), Northern Ireland (25th) and Scotland (47th).
Show all 19 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 14th 2025 | 1,542 | 1 in 164 |
| Northern Ireland | 25th 2025 | 52 | 1 in 140 |
| New Zealand | 46th 2025 | 70 | rank only |
| Scotland | 47th 2025 | 87 | 1 in 206 |
| Queensland state | 64th 2025 | 80 | rank only |
| New South Wales state | 65th 2025 | 107 | rank only |
| Victoria state | 75th 2025 | 82 | rank only |
| Ireland | 97th 2025 | 49 | 1 in 431 |
| British Columbia province | 109th 2023 | 27 | about 1 in 443 |
| Ontario province | 160th 2024 | 68 | about 1 in 801 |
| Cologne city | 308th 2023 | 3 | about 1 in 2,048 |
| Quebec province | 412th 2025 | 12 | about 1 in 2,167 |
| The Netherlands | 626th 2025 | 19 | about 1 in 3,211 |
| Austria | 672nd 2025 | 6 | 1 in 5,954 |
| Sweden | 885th 2025 | 5 | about 1 in 8,034 |
| Switzerland | 901st 2025 | 6 | 1 in 5,666 |
| Berlin city | 937th 2023 | 2 | about 1 in 7,252 |
| France | 1480th 2025 | 20 | 1 in 14,340 |
| Italy | 1538th 2024 | 5 | 1 in 35,834 |
Rare, below the listed names: South Australia, Munich, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock, Norway, Spain, Catalonia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); NISRA (Northern Ireland); Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), SmartStart (New Zealand); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Queensland Registry of BDM (Qld Open Data Portal) (Queensland); NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages (Data.NSW) (New South Wales); Registry of BDM Victoria (DataVic) (Victoria); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy). How we count, and every source
About the name
Phoebe came into English from Latin Phoebē, from Ancient Greek Φοίβη, the feminine form of Phoîbos, 'bright'.
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Despite its spelling, it is said FEE-bee, two syllables with a long first vowel. Phebe is an older simplified spelling, and Febe, Feba and Føbe are forms in other languages.
Phoebe ranks high in England and Wales and Northern Ireland and is used in New Zealand. It is rare in the Netherlands, Austria and Sweden. The Ontario and British Columbia records place its peak in 2022, and it is rising in ten places while falling in only one, a classical name with steady modern momentum in the English-speaking world.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- FEE-bee, 2 syllables
- Meaning
bright
- Origin
- Greek
- Other spellings
- Phebe
- Febe
- Feba
- Føbe
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin Phoebē, from Ancient Greek Φοίβη (Phoíbē), feminine form of Φοῖβος (Phoîbos, “bright”).
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 10 of 14 regions, falling in 1.
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Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 24 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 25 | 22 | 24 | 20 | 17 | 14 |
| Scotland | 73 | 57 | 69 | 85 | 83 | 62 | 65 | 45 | 46 | 47 |
| Northern Ireland | 49 | 44 | 51 | 47 | 74 | 59 | 35 | 39 | 30 | 25 |
| Ireland | 133 | 137 | 109 | 137 | 128 | 123 | 78 | 99 | 82 | 97 |
| Ontario | 299 | 283 | 268 | 220 | 192 | 243 | 177 | 219 | 160 | |
| British Columbia | 246 | 284 | 193 | 184 | 230 | 157 | 134 | 109 | ||
| New South Wales | 56 | 42 | 58 | 58 | 77 | 72 | 72 | 69 | 62 | 65 |
| Victoria | 59 | 57 | 59 | 70 | 82 | 75 | 81 | 79 | 75 | |
| Queensland | 56 | 52 | 73 | 56 | 53 | 67 | 76 | 62 | 70 | 64 |
| South Australia | 58 | 98 | 60 | 87 | 69 | 63 | 95 | |||
| New Zealand | 76 | 52 | 66 | 63 | 77 | 79 | 76 | 54 | 58 | 46 |
| Quebec | 522 | 337 | 662 | 813 | 810 | 390 | 266 | 268 | 287 | 412 |
| France | 1183 | 1692 | 1439 | 1668 | 1393 | 1640 | 1634 | 1879 | 1292 | 1480 |
| The Netherlands | 879 | 701 | 798 | 816 | 747 | 874 | 515 | 626 | ||
| Austria | 758 | 604 | 881 | 1310 | 1023 | 670 | 752 | 727 | 1039 | 672 |
| Switzerland | 804 | 899 | 925 | 707 | 922 | 872 | 892 | 733 | 800 | 901 |
| Berlin | 1199 | 543 | 1007 | 668 | 978 | 562 | 799 | 937 | ||
| Rostock | 197 | 187 | 158 | |||||||
| Sweden | 885 | |||||||||
| Italy | 1141 | 1556 | 1027 | 1538 | ||||||
| Poland | 569 | 400 | 574 | 540 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14 | 1,542 | 608.8 |
| 2024 | 17 | 1,549 | 600.4 |
| 2023 | 20 | 1,510 | 588.6 |
| 2022 | 24 | 1,531 | 581.0 |
| 2021 | 22 | 1,678 | 612.3 |
| 2020 | 25 | 1,543 | 574.9 |
| 2019 | 22 | 1,753 | 626.0 |
| 2018 | 21 | 1,883 | 653.2 |
| 2017 | 21 | 2,000 | 668.7 |
| 2016 | 24 | 1,975 | 643.0 |
| 2015 | 22 | 2,081 | 675.8 |
| 2014 | 22 | 2,102 | 685.4 |
| 2013 | 24 | 1,992 | 645.8 |
| 2012 | 28 | 1,825 | 566.7 |
| 2011 | 24 | 2,008 | 624.9 |
| 2010 | 28 | 2,027 | 631.4 |
| 2009 | 23 | 2,074 | 661.8 |
| 2008 | 26 | 2,116 | 670.1 |
| 2007 | 31 | 1,769 | 577.9 |
| 2006 | 32 | 1,634 | 546.1 |
| 2005 | 36 | 1,569 | 544.3 |
| 2004 | 43 | 1,290 | 451.3 |
| 2003 | 44 | 1,182 | 424.2 |
| 2002 | 40 | 1,160 | 433.9 |
| 2001 | 40 | 1,256 | 468.7 |
| 2000 | 38 | 1,319 | 482.8 |
| 1999 | 38 | 1,431 | 508.0 |
| 1998 | 43 | 1,371 | 474.1 |
| 1997 | 54 | 1,071 | 365.3 |
| 1996 | 65 | 910 | 307.4 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Phoebe in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2013. First recorded in 1925. Her peak year there: 2022, at 128.4 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Phoebe per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 2022 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Phoebe
1 in 184 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Phoebe.
1 in 216 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Phoebe. Same first letter as Phoebe.
1 in 106 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Phoebe.
1 in 82 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Phoebe.
1 in 175 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Phoebe.
1 in 208 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Phoebe.
1 in 347 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Phoebe.
1 in 202 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Phoebe.
1 in 197 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Phoebe.
1 in 166 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Phoebe.
Middle names for Phoebe
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Phoebe Grace
2-1 beats · initials PG
Changes the beat after Phoebe: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Phoebe Olivia
2-4 beats · initials PO · Phoebe slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Phoebe: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Phoebe slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Phoebe Sophia
2-3 beats · initials PS
Changes the beat after Phoebe: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Phoebe Maria
2-3 beats · initials PM
Changes the beat after Phoebe: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Phoebe Rose
2-1 beats · initials PR
Changes the beat after Phoebe: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Phoebe Emily
2-3 beats · initials PE · Phoebe slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Phoebe: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Phoebe slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Phoebe Julia
2-3 beats · initials PJ
Changes the beat after Phoebe: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Phoebe Miriam
2-3 beats · initials PM
Changes the beat after Phoebe: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Phoebe
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 293 in Scotland
98% alike: moves with Phoebe across countries and decades.
1 in 143 in Scotland
97% alike: moves with Phoebe across countries and decades.
1 in 459 in Scotland
97% alike: moves with Phoebe across countries and decades.
1 in 127 in Scotland
97% alike: moves with Phoebe across countries and decades.
1 in 124 in Scotland
96% alike: moves with Phoebe across countries and decades.
1 in 166 in England and Wales
96% alike: moves with Phoebe across countries and decades.
1 in 197 in Scotland
96% alike: moves with Phoebe across countries and decades.
1 in 138 in Scotland
95% alike: moves with Phoebe across countries and decades.
Famous people named Phoebe
Phoebe Tonkin, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Phoebe Bridgers, Phoebe Cates, Phoebe Dynevor, Phoebe Snow, Phoebe Fox and Phoebe Hearst.
Show all 8Show less
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Australian actress (born 1989)
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English actress, screenwriter and producer (born 1985)
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American musician (born 1994)
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American actress, model, and entrepreneur born 1963
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British actress (born 1995)
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American singer, songwriter and guitarist (1950–2011)
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British actress born 1987
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American philanthropist, feminist and suffragist (1842–1919)
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Phoebe
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Phoebe?
Her best rank is No. 14 in England and Wales in 2025, about 1 in 164 girls. She is in the published lists of 19 of our 40 regions.
What does Phoebe mean?
Wiktionary glosses Phoebe as "bright".
How do you pronounce Phoebe?
FEE-bee, with 2 syllables.
Is Phoebe getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 10 of 14 regions, falling in 1.
Which sister names go with Phoebe?
The deck's top five sisters for Phoebe: Georgia, Penelope, Maisie, Sadie and Matilda. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.