Girl · Ancient Greek
Philomena
Say it: fil-uh-MEE-nuh
Meaning
Greek, usually explained as 'beloved' (philoumenē) or 'friend of strength' (philos and menos); the first is the more likely.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Her cult spread rapidly in the 19th century, though the historical basis was later questioned and she was removed from the Roman calendar in 1961.
Its wave through time
A revival, back after decades away
In the United States
- 9,497 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1908, about 1 in 3,500 girls
- 86 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Filomena
| French | Philomène |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Filomena |
| Italian | Filomena |
| Portuguese | Filomena |
| Polish | Filomena |
Famous bearers
- Philomena, saint venerated after bones were found in a Roman catacomb in 1802
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Lives of the saints and early Christian martyrologies
- Calendars of saints and name days
- 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.