Philicia
Feminine form of the name Philip, derived from Greek meaning "lover of horses".
Name Census estimates that about 471 living Americans carry the first name Philicia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Philicia today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Philicia births was 1991 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Philicia. 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.
People living today
471
~ 1 in 727,716 Americans
Peak year
1991
34 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2010 SSA rank
#19,155
Tracked since 1960
Census
Philicia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 480 people with the first name Philicia, which placed it at #21,231 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
#21,231
National first-name rank
People counted
480
480 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
57.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Philicia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Philicia is Black at 57.3%. The next largest groups are White (29.6%) and Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Philicia 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 Philicia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American57.3% · 275
- White29.6% · 142
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 25
- Two or more races3.5% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 8
Popularity
Philicia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Philicia from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 174 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Philicia 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 Philicia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Philicias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Philicia, while Florida, California, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Philicia
The name Philicia is derived from the Greek word "philos," meaning "beloved" or "dear one." This name has its origins in ancient Greek culture, dating back to the classical period of ancient Greece, around the 5th century BCE.
Philicia was a relatively uncommon name during ancient times, but it was occasionally bestowed upon individuals, particularly in the Greek-speaking regions of the Mediterranean. The name's association with love and affection made it a fitting choice for parents who wished to express their profound attachment to their child.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Philicia can be found in the works of the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes, who lived from approximately 446 BCE to 386 BCE. In his comedic play "The Frogs," a character named Philicia is mentioned, though little is known about her significance within the context of the play.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Philicia. One such figure was Philicia of Lemnos, a philosopher who lived in the 4th century BCE and was renowned for her contributions to the study of ethics and virtue. Unfortunately, much of her written work has been lost to time, but her influence on ancient Greek thought remains significant.
Another noteworthy Philicia was a Roman noblewoman who lived during the 1st century CE. She was the wife of Gaius Sallustius Crispus, a prominent Roman historian and politician. While little is known about her personal life, her marriage to Sallustius Crispus suggests that she held a prominent position within Roman society.
In the 12th century, a German abbess named Philicia von Andernach was known for her leadership and piety. She served as the abbess of the Benedictine convent in Andernach, Germany, from 1165 to 1195 CE, and was highly respected for her religious devotion and administrative abilities.
Another notable figure was Philicia de Belleville, a French noblewoman who lived during the 13th century. She was a prominent figure in the court of King Louis IX of France and was known for her patronage of the arts and her charitable works.
Finally, in the 16th century, Philicia Caterina da Siena was an Italian painter and artist who gained recognition for her religious works and portraiture. She was active in the Renaissance art scene of Siena, Italy, and her works are still celebrated for their technical skill and emotional depth.
These examples showcase the enduring presence of the name Philicia throughout various cultures and eras, reflecting its timeless appeal and the diverse backgrounds of those who have borne this meaningful moniker.
People
Philicia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Philicia 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
Philicia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Philicia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 471 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Philicia 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 727,716 US residents.
Is Philicia a common name?
We classify Philicia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 502 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Philicia most popular?
The single biggest year for Philicia was 1991, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Philicia is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Philicia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 480 people with the name Philicia, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,231 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 Philicia 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 Philicia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Philicia appears almost entirely female. Of the 480 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Philicia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Philicia is Black at 57.3%. The next largest groups are White (29.6%) and Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Philicia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Philicia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.3% (275 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 Philicia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Philicia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Philicia in the SSA data are female. 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 Philicia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Philicia 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 Philicia 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 common is the name Philicia?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Philicia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.