Filomena

Girl · Greek

Filomena

Say it: fee-loh-MEH-nah

Try it with your surname

Meaning

From Greek Philoumene 'beloved', from philein 'to love'.

Likelythe main view, with some doubt.

The 19th-century cult of St Philomena made it widespread in southern Italy.

Its wave through time

Fading since the 1900s

In the United States

5,386 babies given this name since 1885
At its height in 1907, about 1 in 4,600 girls
25 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

Italian Portuguese

The family of the name

English	Philomena
Spanish	Filomena

Names worth a look

LaviniaGirlName of the legendary wife of Aeneas, linked to the town Lavinium; its origin is unknown.Rome · peak 1886

CarlottaGirlA feminine diminutive of Carlo (Charles), from Germanic karl 'free man'.Victorian · peak 1948

AllegraGirlFrom Italian allegra 'cheerful, lively'.Victorian · peak 1997

ZitaGirlFrom an old Tuscan word zita 'girl, young woman'.Middle Ages · peak 1901 · forgotten

CaterinaGirlFrom Greek Aikaterine, whose origin is unknown; the popular meaning 'pure', from katharos, is a later folk etymology…Middle Ages · peak 2014

GiuliaGirlFrom the Roman family name Julius, of uncertain origin; the ancient link to Iulus, son of Aeneas, is legend.Rome · peak 2020

VelmaGirlUncertain. A late 19th-century American name, perhaps from Wilhelmina or a blend of names.Victorian · peak 1907

PhilomenaGirlGreek, usually explained as 'beloved' (philoumenē) or 'friend of strength' (philos and menos); the first is the more…Victorian · peak 1908

Where this comes from

Calendars of saints and name days
Parish baptism registers
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.