Philomena

Philomena: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “lover of strength”
Origin: Greek
Say it: fil-uh-MEE-nuh · 4 syllables
Used for: Girls

From Greek Philoumenē/Philomena, traditionally interpreted from elements meaning 'love' and 'strength' or 'might'. It is the name of an early Christian saint.

Greek names Italian names English names Names meaning love Names meaning strength Classic names Vintage names International names

How popular is Philomena?

202433.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Philomena in 2024110

2024 rank#1,819 girls

Peak year1908

Total US babies since 18809,847

Philomena is rising: use over the last five years is 2.1× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Philomena

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Sophiawisdom · Greek
Sofiawisdom · Greek
Chloeyoung green shoot · Greek
Zoelife · Greek
Penelopeweaver; duck · Greek
Elenabright, shining light · Greek
Genesisorigin; creation; birth · Greek
Zoeylife · Greek

Philomena questions

What does the name Philomena mean?

Philomena means "lover of strength". It comes from Greek. From Greek Philoumenē/Philomena, traditionally interpreted from elements meaning 'love' and 'strength' or 'might'. It is the name of an early Christian saint.

Is Philomena a boy or girl name?

Philomena is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Philomena?

110 US babies were named Philomena in 2024. Its peak year was 1908.

How do you pronounce Philomena?

Philomena is usually pronounced fil-uh-MEE-nuh.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.