Philemon
Masculine · “Greek "affectionate”
The shortest letter Paul wrote is about an enslaved man. Philemon runs to twenty-five verses and asks a slaveholder to receive Onesimus back no longer as a slave but as a beloved brother — a text argued over on both sides of the abolition debate for two centuries.
How old is the name Philemon?
Philemon first appears in US birth records in 1916 — 109 years ago. The typical Philemon alive today was born around 1988, making them about 37 years old. About 700 people named Philemon are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Philemon most popular?
Philemon peaked in 1969, reaching #2130 nationally. Today it ranks #7679, 5,549 places below that high. See the whole 1969 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From philein to Philemon
The story of Philemon
Onesimus, whose name means useful, had left Philemon's household and encountered Paul, who sent him back with the letter. Paul does not command Philemon to free him and does not condemn slavery, but he asks for Onesimus to be received as a brother and offers to pay any debt himself, and he adds that he could command but prefers to appeal. Nineteenth-century American defenders of slavery cited the letter as scriptural sanction for returning fugitives; abolitionists read the brother clause as undermining the institution entirely. Both readings are still argued. The American figures for the given name peak in 1969.
Meaning
Greek "affectionate, loving"
From philēma, a kiss, from philein, to love — the same root as philosophy, love of wisdom, and Philadelphia, brotherly love. Philemon is also a figure in Greek myth who with his wife Baucis entertains Zeus and Hermes unknowingly and is rewarded. The New Testament Philemon is the recipient of Paul's letter.
How the name formed
- philein
- Philēmōn
- Philemon
Related forms: Φιλήμων · Filemón · Philémon
Pronouncing Philemon
fy-LEE-mun
Three syllables, stress on the second. The ph is f, from Greek phi, and the final -on is reduced in English but a full vowel in Greek.
Nicknames for Philemon
Moderate
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
- 1916
- Most boys named
- 201724 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2130reached in 1969
- Change vs 2023
- +11.1%10 in 2025, from 9
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.
Philemon in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Φιλήμων in Greek — same name
- Filemón in Spanish — same name
- Philémon in French — same name
Philemons among us
people named Philemon are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 170,808 born in 2025 was named Philemon
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Charlene test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Philemon's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Charlene climbed just as high around 1945, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Charlene's path sketches the road Philemon is walking now.
Philemon 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
Philemon beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Philemon in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is settled and warm: affectionate.
- Phil is an immediate short form needing no explanation.
- It carries both a biblical letter and a Greek myth.
- The back clip produces the word lemon.
- Three syllables and an unfamiliar shape invite mispronunciation.
- It is rare in America and will need spelling out.
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What they receive
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Philemon
Masculine · #7679 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Philemons are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Philemon are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Philemon in 2025?
- Philemon ranks #7679 among US boy names in 2025, with 10 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Philemon?
- About 1 in every 170,808 US boys born in 2025 was named Philemon — 10 in all.
- Will my child share the name Philemon with classmates?
- Philemon will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Philemon
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Early#7679 · Obie#7679 · Huston#7679 · Knute#7679 · Rance#7679 · Blain#7679 · Doyle#7679 · Millard#7679
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Philemon? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Philemon and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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