Name of the Week: Phoebe

 

 

Origin:

Phoebe is the transliterated English form of the Ancient Greek name Φοίβη (also "Phoibe") which derived from the Greek words phoibos (φοῖβος) "bright, radiant," but also (perhaps originally, or by extension) phoibazo (φοιβάζω) "prophesy, inspire" and phoibao (φοιβάω) "to cleanse, purify." In Greek Mythology, Phoebe was the name of a Titan goddess of bright intellect. She was the daughter of Ouranos (the Sky) and Gaia (the Earth), and wife of Koios (the Inquiring).* In some sources, Phoebe's domain was the moon. Indeed, from the meaning "bright, pure, shining," Phoebus was used as a both as an epithet and an alternate name of Apollo — in his capacity as god of the sun — and Phoebe was used for his twin sister Artemis in her capacity as the goddess of the moon. In his epic, the Aeneid, Virgil makes several references to "Phoebe's light": * Now was the world forsaken by the sun, And Phoebe half her nightly race had run. (Verg. A. 10.215) * Then, when they part, when Phoebe's paler light Withdraws, and falling stars to sleep invite, She last remains, when ev'ry guest is gone. (Verg. A. 4.54).  In other sources, Phoebe (via phoibazo) is more associated with prophesy. She was the third goddess to hold the title of prophet of Oracle of Delphi and later passed the title to her grandson, Apollo. According to Aeschylus, "Phoebe, took her seat here. She gave it as a birthday gift to Phoebus [Apollo], who has his name from Phoebe."(Aeschyl. Eum. 8)

Usage:

As a given name in its own right, Phoebe was certainly used as a proper name in Antiquity. The Lexicon of Greek Personal Names (LGPN) — which was "established to collect and publish all ancient Greek personal names, drawing on the full range of written sources from the 8th century B.C. down to the late Roman Empire" — has thirty-eight examples of the name Φοίβη (Phoibe) on record (most from Western Greece, Italy/Sicily and Asia Minor), which puts it in moderate usage.  Phoebe is also mentioned in the New Testament as a woman deacon at Cenchreae near Corinth commended by Paul when he writes: "I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the assembly that is at Cenchreae, that you receive her in the Lord, in a way worthy of the saints, and that you assist her in whatever matter she may need from you, for she herself also has been a helper of many, and of my own self." (Rom. 16). It is this Biblical reference which most likely accounts for Phoebe's usage in Britain from the 16th century, though its associations with Greek mythology likely helped its use further in the 18th century. Shakespeare used the name Phebe (Phoebe) for a character in As You Like It (1603) who was a country girl in the Forest of Arden with whom shepherd Silvius is madly in love with.  In terms of popularity, Phoebe became established regularly by the end 17th century. We can see this in Smith Bannister's rankings of top 50 names from 1538 to 1700 in England when the name first ranks at #46 in the tables for both 1680-9 and 1690-1700: Smith Bannister further points out that the name was more common in the South of England: "There was a clear difference of emphasis between the sources used for the names given to the female poor in the North and the South. In the more southerly areas poor women were more likely than others to have biblical names. This element of distinction principally arose from the greater proportion of women in Exeter, Surrey, and Oxfordshire who had biblical names which were not also traditional English names. Among these names we can include (from Exeter) Sarah, Susanna, Abigail, and Martha. There were also many female poor in Surrey named Hester, Hannah, Phoebe, Rebecca, Abigail, and Deborah."* According to Leslie Dunkling, Phoebe ranked #29 in 1700 and #38 in 1800 in England and Wales.  By the 19th century, Phoebe was a firmly established name with both the spelling Phoebe and Phebe in good use. By the end of the century, Phebe was fast becoming an obsolete spelling, with Phoebe dominating as the standard form.  Birth rankings in England and Wales:   Phoebe Phebe 1850:  1860:  1870:  1880:  1890: 1900:  #51 #58 #69 #74 #83 #99 #71 #96 #172 #173 #273 #303 Phoebe was out of top 100 from 1904 to 1994, but by 1996 had shot up to #65. It is temping to attribute this to the massive success of American TV sitcom Friends, starring Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, which first aired in September 1994. While it is hard to argue that Friends didn't have any impact on the name (if only to normalise and widen its appeal), Dunkling's data for the number of girls registered with the names Phoebe in every 10,000 births in England and Wales, however, shows that it was already on the rise by that point: 1900 1925 1935 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985  1990   16   6   2    -    4    -    4    -    -    -    4    16 Another popular culture reference soon came in 1998 with the airing of the first season of popular supernatural TV series Charmed, starring Alyssa Milano as Phoebe Halliwell.  From 1998, Phoebe has been solidly in the top 50 in England and Wales, and in the top 30 from 2008. The highest rank was at #22 in 2014 (2099 births) and 2015 (2081 births), but the highest birth count was 2116 births (rank #26) in 2008.  In 2016, Phoebe ranked #24 (1975 births) in England and Wales, #73 (71 births) in Scotland and #49 (48 births) in Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Phoebe Hessel (1713–1821), British soldier who disguised herself as a man to serve in army. * Phoebe Pember (1823–1913), nurse and medical administrator during the American Civil War. * Phoebe Judson (1831–1926), American pioneer and author. * Phoebe Knapp (1839–1908), American composer. * Phoebe Hearst (1842–1919), American philanthropist and feminist. * Phoebe Couzins (1848–1912), one of the first female lawyers in the U.S. and the first female marshal. * Phoebe Anna Traquair (1852–1936), Irish artist noted for her role in the Arts and Crafts Movement. * Phoebe Omlie (1902–1975), American aviation pioneer and one of the first female aviators. * Phoebe Hesketh (1909–2005), British poet. Contemporary: * Phoebe Nicholls (born 1957), British actress. * Phoebe Philo (born 1973), British fashion designer. * Phoebe Thomas (born 1983), British actress. * Phoebe Tonkin (born 1989), Australian actress and model. Literature and Other Media: * Phebe/Phoebe, a character in Shakespeare's As You Like It (1603).  * Phoebe Caulfield, the little sister of Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye. * Phoebe Buffay, a main character in the sitcom Friends, portrayed by Lisa Kudrow. * Phoebe Halliwell, a main character on the television drama series Charmed. * Phoebe Sparrow, character in the television series Goodnight Sweetheart. * Phoebe O'Hara, a fictional FBI agent in Kindergarten Cop, portrayed by Pamela Reed.

Variants:

Phebe; Febe (Italian, Spanish, Dutch)

Pronunciation:

FEE-bee [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Phee, Bee, Phebes

Sibling Names:

Freya     Sophia     Esme     Maya     Imogen     Thea  Matthew     Frederick     Louis      Edward     Harry     Felix

Name Lists:

Dulcet Dainties   Gorgeously Georgian   Victorian Darlings   Saintly and Stylish   Tennyson Names   Gilbert and Sullivan Names   Greek Nymphs   Names of Roses   Astronomical Names

 

If you like Phoebe you may also like:   Chloe, Willow, Hebe, Penelope, Luna, Lydia, Clara, Amelia, Eliza, Beatrice

Thanks to F for requesting this name.