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The short answer
Phoenix is a unisex name used in English. Behind the Name describes it this way: "From the name of a beautiful immortal bird that appears in Egyptian and Greek mythology. After living for several centuries in the Arabian Desert, it would be consumed by fire and rise from its own ashes, with this cycle repeating every 500 years." It ranked #329 for boys and #534 for girls in the United States in 2025.
Meaning and etymology
According to Behind the Name, from the name of a beautiful immortal bird that appears in Egyptian and Greek mythology. After living for several centuries in the Arabian Desert, it would be consumed by fire and rise from its own ashes, with this cycle repeating every 500 years. The entry lists its usage as English (Modern).
Editorial confidence: likely
Popularity
Phoenix ranked #329 for boys and #534 for girls in the United States in 2025. The figure comes from the Social Security Administration's national file for that year.
| Region | Year | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States (boys) | 2025 | #329 | ssa-2025 |
| United States (girls) | 2025 | #534 | ssa-2025 |
United States, 2025: #329 (Social Security Administration)
If you like this name
Names that Behind the Name files under the same origin (English) and that sit near Phoenix in the 2025 American rankings.
Similar by origin
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Phoenix mean?
Behind the Name does not give Phoenix a one-word meaning. It describes the name as follows: from the name of a beautiful immortal bird that appears in Egyptian and Greek mythology.
Is Phoenix a popular name?
Phoenix ranked #329 for boys and #534 for girls in the United States in 2025. (Social Security Administration data).
Is Phoenix a boy's or a girl's name?
Phoenix appears in both the boys' and girls' SSA lists for 2025, so it is used for both.
Sources
- Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name Phoenix — supports meaning, usage, pronunciation, variants.
- U.S. Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names — national data, year of birth 2025 — supports popularity.
