Philomena
About Philomena
Philomena is an earthy Greek name now used in various Latin countries. While it has felt simply clunky for many years, it's starting -- along with such sister names as Wilhelmina and Frederica -- to sound so clunky it's cool.
Also a saint's name--that of a thirteen-year-old martyr of early Rome--it's commonly seen in Italy and Spain spelled Filomena. Philomena only started appearing in English-speaking countries in the latter half of the nineteenth century, especially in Scotland and Australia.
In the US, Philomena ranked in the Top 1000 through 1940, peaking at Number 355 in 1915.
Philomena Guinea is the name of protagonist Esther Greenwood's patron in Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar. New attention was brought to the name via the Oscar-nominated eponymous film based on the real-life Philomena Lee.
As of October 2026, Philomena ranked #1920 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #355 in 1915, Nameberry popularity #631.
Editor's take: The name Philomena is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "lover of strength".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #2,639 | 67 | 37.5 |
| 2015 | #2,372 | 78 | 43.7 |
| 2016 | #2,112 | 93 | 52.5 |
| 2017 | #2,106 | 92 | 53.3 |
| 2018 | #2,176 | 87 | 51.1 |
| 2019 | #2,064 | 92 | 54.8 |
| 2020 | #2,128 | 86 | 53.2 |
| 2021 | #2,360 | 77 | 46.9 |
| 2022 | #2,267 | 83 | 50.6 |
| 2023 | #2,327 | 79 | 49.2 |
| 2024 | #1,833 | 110 | 67.9 |
| 2025 | #1,920 | 101 | 62.8 |
World rankings
Similar names
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- Honora
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Philomena on lists
Famous Philomenas
- Saint Philomena
Greco,Roman martyr, patron saint of children and impossible causes
- Philomena Begley
Irish country music singer
- Philomena Bijlhout
Dutch TV presenter and politician
- Philomena Franz
Sinti (Romani) Holocaust survivor & writer
- Philomena Garvey
Irish golfer
- Philomena Theresa Gianfrancisco
American female baseball player
- Philomena Lee
Irish woman who searched for her long,lost son; basis for book "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee" and film "Philomena"
- Philomena "Phyllis" Lynott
Irish memoirist
- Philomena Marano
American collage artist
- Philomena McDonagh
English actress
- Philomena Bijou "Philo" Jovanovic
b. 2014, daughter of Daphne Oz and John Jovanovic
- Maire Philomena Ni Bhraonain
birth name of Moya Brennan, Irish singer formerly of Clannad
- Annabella Gloria Philomena Sciorra
American actress
- Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton
b. 1956, British actress
- Stephanie Eleonore Maria Elisabeth Kamilla Philomena Veronika
Princess of Windisch,Graetz, daughter of Austrian archduchess Elisabeth Marie, The Red Archduchess
Philomena in pop culture
- Philomena
Princess Celestia's pet phoenix on the TV show "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic"
- Philomena Rostovich
character in the play "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You" by Christopher Durang
- Philomena Guinea
character in "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
- Philomena Sinnott
wife to Eugene Sinnott and mother of Timothy John in "Mrs Eckdorf in O'Neill's Hotel" (1969) by William Trevor
- "That's Philomena!"
picture book about a frog named Philomena, by Catherine Bancroft and Hannah Coale
- Philomena Vasillia
character in the webcomic "Never Satisfied" by Taylor Robin
- "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee
" by Martin Sixsmith, basis for 2013 film "Philomena"
- Philomena Cunk
Protagonist of the 2022 BBC mockumentary "Cunk on Earth"
Variations & nicknames
- FilomenaItalian
- PhilomèneFrench