Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Phil?
Births per year, rank history and how many Phils are alive today.
Phil (male) is a shortened form of the name Philip (and sometimes of Phillip). Phil itself was last registered for 4 babies in 2023; most Phils are registered as Philip, which ranked 549th in 2025 with 71 babies.
Most people called Phil are registered as Philip, and share that name's profile: the Philip you are most likely to meet is around 62 years old. Half of all Philips born in England and Wales are between 49 and 69, and there are at least 190,000 of them alive today. Only some Philips go by Phil.
How many babies are named Phil or Philip each year?
Combined registrations of Philip, Phil. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Philip rank as a registered name?
Where does Phil rank as a registered name?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
Is Phil short for Philip?
Yes - Phil is a shortened form of Philip. It is also used for Phillip. Phils are usually registered as Philip at birth.
When was the name Phil most popular?
The full name Philip peaked in 1964, when around 6,900 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Phil itself peaked as a registered name in 2007, with 8 babies.
How many people are called Phil?
There's no official count of people who go by Phil, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 190,000 people registered as Philip born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Phil.
How old is the typical Phil?
Most people called Phil are registered as Philip. Most living Philips are between 49 and 69; the most common age is about 62.
Is Phil becoming more or less popular?
Declining: recent figures are a fraction of the 1964 peak.