Phoebe
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Phoebe
Bubbly, bright, and versatile, Phoebe is a name with mythological, biblical, and literary ties. Used since the 17th century, it fell out of fashion in the US during the '60s, only to be revived after it appeared in the 90's TV favorites, Friends and Charm>.
Since then, it's been on the rise, with a recent year seeing it sit comfortably in the US Top 200, the England and Wales Top 20, and the Top 100 in Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland.
The Latinized form of the Greek Phoibe, ultimately derived from phoibos, the name has the gorgeous and fitting meaning of "bright." In classical mythology, Phoebe is the by-name of Artemis, goddess of the moon and of hunting, while in the New Testament, Phoebe is a church deaconess.
In literature, Shakespeare used the name (spelled Phebe) for a rustic denizen of the forest in As You Like It and in Hawthorne's The House of Seven Gables, Phoebe Pynchon was a cheerful young girl. There's also a Phoebe in Catcher in the Rye: Holden Caulfield's sympathetic, precocious ten-year-old sister. In real life, famous Phoebes include musician Phoebe Bridgers and actress and writer Phoebe Wallers-Bridge.
The masculine form is the rarely used Phoebus, while the Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch form is Febe.
Phoebe is also given to boys.
Pronounced FEE-bee.
As of October 2026, Phoebe ranked #157 in US births in 2025 SSA, Nameberry popularity #13.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #297 | 1,104 | 618 |
| 2015 | #288 | 1,118 | 626.3 |
| 2016 | #314 | 1,034 | 583.5 |
| 2017 | #318 | 1,021 | 591.4 |
| 2018 | #320 | 1,026 | 603.1 |
| 2019 | #291 | 1,149 | 684.6 |
| 2020 | #254 | 1,181 | 730.6 |
| 2021 | #247 | 1,240 | 755.7 |
| 2022 | #215 | 1,382 | 842.6 |
| 2023 | #190 | 1,590 | 990.9 |
| 2024 | #183 | 1,639 | 1,011.6 |
| 2025 | #157 | 1,885 | 1,172.8 |
World rankings
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Phoebe on lists
Famous Phoebes
- Phoebe Belle CatesGirl
American actress
- Phoebe GilmanGirl
Canadian,American children's author
- Phoebe Elizabeth Apperson HearstGirl
mother of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst
- Phoebe MillsGirl
American Olympic athlete
- (Sarah) Phoebe NichollsGirl
English actress
- Phoebe PhiloGirl
British fashion designer
- Phoebe Snow (born Phoebe Ann Laub)Girl
American singer,songwriter
- Phoebe Ann MoseyGirl
birth name of Annie Oakley, American sharpshooter
- Phoebe Jane Elizabeth TonkinGirl
Australian actress
- Phoebe Harriet DynevorGirl
English actress; daughter of actress Sally Dynevor
- Phoebe StoneGirl
author, illustrator
- Phoebe Jennifer TomlinsonGirl
sister of singer Louis Tomlinson of One Direction
- Phoebe DahlGirl
fashion designer and granddaughter of the writer Roald Dahl
- Phoebe PearlGirl
daughter of American novelist Jennifer Weiner
- Phoebe McCurtain Lithgow (b. 1983)Girl
daughter of American actor John Lithgow
- Phoebe GittinsGirl
daughter of actor Paul Gittins and screenwriter Philippa Boyens
- Phoebe Pryce (b. 1990)Girl
daughter of actor Jonathan Pryce
- Phoebe Miu (b. 1991)Girl
daughter of actors Jaime Chik and Michael Miu
- Phoebe Joseph (b. 2001)Girl
daughter of actress Sherry Stringfield and Larry Joseph
- Phoebe Adele Gates (b. 2002)Girl
daughter of Microsoft's Bill and Melinda Gates
- Phoebe Margaret Cake (b. 2009)Girl
daughter of actors Julianne Nicholson and Jonathan Cake
- Phoebe Sylvia Rachel TrueGirl
Frost (b. 2011), daughter of actor Jim True,Frost
- Phoebe Herring (b. 2015)Girl
daughter of comedian Richard Herring
- Phoebe BridgersGirl
American singer/songwriter
- Phoebe SiegelGirl
Contestant on season 4 of Love Island USA
Phoebe in pop culture
- PhoebeGirl
Greek mythological titaness of the oracle of Delphi, mother of Leto and grandmother of Artemis and Apollo
- Phoebe BuffayGirl
character on TV series "Friends"
- Phoebe Tyler WallingfordGirl
character on soap "All My Children"
- Phoebe HalliwellGirl
character on TV series "Charmed"
- Phoebe HeyerdahlGirl
character on animated series "Hey Arnold!"
- Phoebe TereseGirl
character in the "Magic School Bus" series
- Phoebe CaulfieldGirl
Holden's younger sister in "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
- Phoebe LichtenGirl
character in film "Phoebe in Wonderland"
- Phoebe ThrosselGirl
character in film "Quality Street"
- Phoebe WinterbottomGirl
character in "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech
- Phoebe ThundermanGirl
character on TV series "The Thundermans"
- Phoebe KendallGirl
main character in "Generation Dead" by Daniel Waters
- Phoebe Grizelda HowellGirl
main character in "Phoebe and Her Unicorn" by Dana Simpson
- Phoebe D'YsquithGirl
character in musical, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"
- Phoebe ForresterGirl
character on soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful", Steffy Forrester's twin sister
- Phoebe GreyGirl
Christian and Ana's daughter in the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy
- Capt. Phoebe CallistoGirl
Spaceship captain & mother in the Disney Jr cartoon series "Miles from Tomorrowland"
- PhoebeGirl
character in "Toad Patrol"
- Phoebe HawthorneGirl
character in Mother,Daughter Book Club series by Heather Vogel Frederick
- PhoebeGirl
Moon of Saturn
- Phoebe Lucille BridgersGirl
American singer and songwriter