Phyllis

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records, and ○ marks a model's transliteration; click a spelling to open its page.

Attested across 2 languages in the etymology graph.

Names that people choosing a name often weigh against Phyllis, most often first. They share a style rather than an origin.

• Gladys
• Doris
• Ethel
• Mildred
• Gertrude
• Mavis
• Lois
• Myrtle
• Norma
• Edna
• Bertha
• Beulah

From the names suggested together in public name-advice forums, in English. A list of what people consider, not a measure of how common any name is.

Phyllis is also recorded as 2 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Polish given name17 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Poland, United States, Czechia, Slovakia

  Languages: Polish, Russian, Czech

  Also written Phillis, Филлис, Fillis

• Korean given name3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, South Korea, United Kingdom, North Korea

  Also written 필리스, Phileas

62 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Phyllis is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In French, Greek origin; from Phyllis, related to phyllon 'leaf' or a mythological name.

  as a name·Le grand guide des prénoms (Enfant - Education)

• Name of a minor character in Greek mythology who killed herself for love and was transformed into an almond tree; the Greek word phyllis means ‘foliage’, so clearly her name doomed her from the start.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• In English, A girl who killed herself for love, and was turned into an almond tree.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In French, From Greek; means “foliage, leafage”.

  as a name·Le grand guide des prénoms (Enfant - Education)

• In English, A green bough or branch

  as a name·Baby names, 25,350 baby names nicknames for your family, friends pets, including the top 100 names, 2,000 most popular…

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

• Phyllis Dillerb. 1917USAmerican stand-up comedian, actress, author, musician, and visual artist (1917–2012)
• P. D. Jamesb. 1920GBnot in their usual nameEnglish crime writer (1920-2014)
• Phyllis Schlaflyb. 1924USAmerican conservative activist (1924-2016)
• Phyllis Coatesb. 1927USAmerican actress (1927–2023)
• Phyllis Somervilleb. 1943USAmerican stage, film and television actress (1943–2020)
• Jessica Langeb. 1949USnot in their usual nameAmerican actress
• Phyllis Smithb. 1949USAmerican actress
• Phyllis Georgeb. 1949USAmerican businesswoman, actress, and sportscaster (1949-2020)
• Phyllis Loganb. 1956GBScottish actress
• Phyllis Nagyb. 1962USAmerican writer and director

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

A formal English salutation is built on the surname, so it needs a full name — on its own, a first name only supports the informal form.

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

Where does the name Phyllis come from?

Greek, ‘leafy’. Ancient name popular in England c. late 18th/early 19th century; exported from there to Ireland. Recorded by Irish first names.

Is Phyllis a male or female name?

Phyllis is a female name. National registers that list it by sex list it as female: United States (Census Bureau, 2020) and Netherlands (Meertens NVB).

What does the name Phyllis mean?

Recorded meaning: Greek, ‘leafy’. Ancient name popular in England c.

What are other forms of the name Phyllis?

In the etymology graph, Filiz, PhyLiss and Phillis are forms of the same name in other languages.

How do you pronounce Phyllis?

A machine transcription gives /fɪlɪs/ (IPA) for English.

In which country does Phyllis have the most bearers?

In the United States, the national register counted about 166 thousand people named Phyllis, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled phyllis.

How common is the name Phyllis?

In the United States, the national register counted 165,949 people named Phyllis in 2020, about 1 in 2.0 thousand residents.

How common is Phyllis compared with other names?

In the United States, Phyllis is the 249th most common given name of 2,815,431 given names recorded there.