Pharis
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "shining, radiant, bright".
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Pharis. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Pharis today is around 83 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pharis births was 1932 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pharis. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Pharis with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Pharis is about 83 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Pharis' were born before 1953.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Pharis. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1932
6 babies that year
Average age
83
years old
1951 SSA rank
#3,628
Tracked since 1932
Census
Pharis in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 136 people with the first name Pharis, which placed it at #47,733 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#47,733
National first-name rank
People counted
136
136 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
55.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pharis
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Pharis is White at 55.9%. The next largest groups are Black (36.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Pharis described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Pharis at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.9% · 76
- Black or African American36.8% · 50
- Two or more races2.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Popularity
Pharis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pharis from the 1930s through to the 1950s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 12 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1930s peak, Pharis remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pharis by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Pharis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Pharis
The name Pharis is believed to have originated from the Greek language, derived from the word "pharos," which means "lighthouse" or "beacon." This name was likely first used in ancient Greece, where lighthouses played a crucial role in maritime navigation and safety.
The earliest recorded use of the name Pharis can be traced back to ancient Greek literature, where it was occasionally mentioned as a personal name. However, specific references are scarce, as the name was not widely popular during that time.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Pharis was a Greek philosopher who lived in the 3rd century BC. While not much is known about his life or teachings, his existence is documented in some historical records from that period.
In the 5th century AD, a Christian saint named Pharis of Comana lived in what is now modern-day Turkey. He is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church for his piety and devotion to the faith.
During the Byzantine Empire, a notable figure named Pharis Palaiologos served as a high-ranking military commander in the 12th century. He played a significant role in several battles against invading forces and is mentioned in various chronicles from that era.
In the 16th century, an Italian artist and architect named Pharis Michetti gained recognition for his contributions to the Renaissance art movement. His works can still be admired in various churches and buildings throughout Italy.
Another individual of note was Pharis Alexandrou, a Greek poet and philosopher who lived in the 18th century. He wrote extensively on topics ranging from literature to political theory and was highly regarded in intellectual circles of his time.
While the name Pharis may not have been widely popular throughout history, it has been borne by a few notable individuals across different cultures and time periods. Its Greek origins and association with lighthouses have given it a unique and intriguing meaning.
People
Pharis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pharis as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Pharis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pharis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pharis going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Pharis a common name?
We classify Pharis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 23 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pharis most popular?
The single biggest year for Pharis was 1932, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pharis is about 83 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Pharis in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 136 people with the name Pharis, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #47,733 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Pharis in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Pharis?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Pharis on both sides of the split. Of the 134 people counted with this name, 88 were male (65.7%) and 46 were female (34.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Pharis?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Pharis is White at 55.9%. The next largest groups are Black (36.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Pharis most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Pharis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.9% (76 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Pharis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Pharis a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pharis in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Pharis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Pharis in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Pharis can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Pharis?
See how many people share the name Pharis on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.