Phoebe is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Phoebe means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Phoebe across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Phoebe has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Phoebe is a girl name of Greek origin meaning “bright, radiant”. From Greek phoibos, an epithet of the moon goddess.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 43,663 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 47,470 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 1,604 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 823 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 899 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 1,723 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Phoebe per year, England & Wales (1996 to 2025). England & Wales peaked in 2008 (2,116/yr) · United States peaked in 2025 (1,885/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2023 (88/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2022 (70/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2022 (52/yr).
Phoebe has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2025, when it ranked #361 nationally (given to 3,563 babies that year).
Pheobie · Phebie · Phoeba · Pheobe · Phebe · Phoebie · Phebia · Pheba
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