Euphemia
Feminine · “good speech”
Euphemia gave English the word euphemism, and its own meaning explains why. Greek euphemia is good speech — literally, saying auspicious things, which in Greek religious practice meant avoiding words of ill omen during a sacrifice. The name reached the American top seven hundred and forty in 1880 and is now almost unused.
How old is the name Euphemia?
Euphemia was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Euphemia alive today was born around 1921, making them about 104 years old. About 200 people named Euphemia are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Euphemia most popular?
Euphemia peaked in 1880, reaching #738 nationally. Today it ranks #6116, 5,378 places below that high. See the whole 1880 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From euphemia to Euphemia
The story of Euphemia
Saint Euphemia was martyred at Chalcedon around 303 and became one of the most venerated saints of the Greek church; the Council of Chalcedon met in 451 in the basilica dedicated to her, which gave her name a permanent place in Christian history. It spread west and became particularly strong in Scotland, where it was used to translate the Gaelic Oighrig and produced the pet forms Effie and Euphie. Scottish and Ulster migration brought it to America, and its record peaks in 1880 with the rest of that cohort of long classical names.
Meaning
good speech; auspicious words
Greek eu, 'good, well', and pheme, 'speech, report, what is said', from phemi, 'to speak'. In Greek ritual euphemia meant the avoidance of any ill-omened word, which is exactly what a euphemism does. The name is a straightforward compound of the two elements and the derivation is settled. Pheme also gives fame, through Latin fama, so the second element is related to a word English uses constantly.
How the name formed
- euphemia
- Euphemia
- Euphemia
Related forms: Efthymia · Euphemia · Eufemia · Eufemia
Pronouncing Euphemia
yoo-FEE-mee-uh
Four syllables, stress on the second. Greek says ef-thee-MEE-ah with a different consonant in the middle. The English version is standard on American bearers and has been for centuries.
Nicknames for Euphemia
High
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 191526 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #738reached in 1880
- Change vs 2023
- +11.8%19 in 2025, from 17
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Euphemia in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Efthymia in Greek — related form
- Euphemia in Scottish — same name
- Eufemia in Italian — related form
- Eufemia in Spanish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas.
Euphemias among us
people named Euphemia are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 84,593 born in 2025 was named Euphemia
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Euphemia sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Euphemia beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Euphemia in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is settled and connects directly to an English word everyone knows.
- Effie, Phemie and Mia give it three short forms across three registers.
- It has a documented saint with a genuine place in church history.
- Four syllables is long for everyday use, so a short form is effectively required.
- It will be misspelled by almost anyone writing it from dictation.
- Its American curve is nineteenth-century, which places a bearer's generation.
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Euphemia
Feminine · #6116 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Euphemias are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Euphemia are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Euphemia in 2025?
- Euphemia ranks #6116 among US girl names in 2025, with 19 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Euphemia?
- About 1 in every 84,593 US girls born in 2025 was named Euphemia — 19 in all.
- Will my child share the name Euphemia with classmates?
- Euphemia will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Euphemia
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Alvina#6116 · Mena#6116 · Harvey#6116 · Kellie#6116 · Alden#6116 · Jeanna#6116 · Sammi#6116 · Mamie#6116
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Euphemia? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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