Phyllis West
There are approximately 73 people named Phyllis West living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 4,695,265 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Phyllis with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname West. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
73
1 in 4,695,265
Named Phyllis
115K
Alive today
Named West
217K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 115K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Female
Peak year: 1947
Average age: 74
Top Census group: White (81.3%)
Estimated bearers: 217K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #127
Per 100K: 63.35
Top ancestry: White (72.5%)
First name trend
Phyllis: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Phyllis. The peak year was 1947 with 9,205 births. The average person named Phyllis today is 74 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Phyllis
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Phyllis, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 81.3%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Phyllis described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Phyllis at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White81.3% · 134,876
- Black or African American14.0% · 23,242
- Two or more races1.7% · 2,809
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 2,606
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1,279
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1,132
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the West surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname West, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 72.5%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname West described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname West at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White72.5% · 137,255
- Black or African American17.8% · 33,776
- Two or more races4.7% · 8,846
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 6,794
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,483
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1,206
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Phyllis has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0336% of the US population, based on 115,180 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Phyllis right now.
The surname West appears at a rate of 63.35 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0634%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 73 people with the full name Phyllis West. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Phyllis
Related
Other people with the surname West
FAQ
Phyllis West: questions and answers
How many people are named Phyllis West?
We estimate approximately 73 people in the United States share the full name Phyllis West. That works out to about 1 in 4,695,265 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0336%) with the surname frequency (63.35 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Phyllis West?
We classify Phyllis West as "Very Rare". About 1 in 4,695,265 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Phyllis a male or female name?
Phyllis is predominantly female. Out of 323,361 total SSA registrations, 0.3% were male and 99.7% were female. See the full Phyllis profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How common is the name Phyllis West?
If you just want to know how common the name Phyllis West is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.