UK boy's name
Phelim
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2009. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Phelim is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Phelim popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2009 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4527, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 3 births.
This profile covers 9 England and Wales registrations across 3 recorded years from 1996 to 2009. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 42 living people in the UK are called Phelim. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2010 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Phelim ranked #4527 for boys in England and Wales in 2009, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 3 boys were registered as Phelim.
- • Phelim ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #415 in 2017.
- • About 42 living people in the UK are estimated to have Phelim as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4527
2009
Births in 2009
3
Latest year
Peak year
1996
3 births
Estimated living
42
2026
Popularity
Phelim over time
The chart below shows babies named Phelim registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2009. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Phelim, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2009, compared with 3 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Phelim by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Phelim was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | #4527 | 3 | 1 |
| 1990s | #2903 | 6 | 2 |
Geography
Where Phelim is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Phelim. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Phelim ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #415 in 2017.
Across the UK
Phelim in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#415 in 2017
8 years of NISRA records, 33 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Phelim
-
Phelim McAleer
film producer; film director; film screenwriter
journalist and documentary filmmaker
1967-
-
Phelim McDermott
actor; music director; improviser; theatre director; director
British actor and stage director
1963-
-
Phelim Boyle
economist; actuary
Irish economist
1941-
-
Phelim O’Neill, 2nd Baron Rathcavan
politician
British politician (1909-1994)
1909-1994
-
Phelim Comerford
rugby league player
Irish rugby league footballer
Related
Names similar to Phelim
- Patrick 17,559
- Peter 13,150
- Paul 8,542
- Philip 4,997
- Parker 4,664
- Phoenix 3,865
- Preston 3,370
- Prince 1,782
- Patryk 1,763
- Phillip 1,697
- Percy 1,395
- Perry 1,015
FAQ
Phelim: questions and answers
How popular is the name Phelim in the UK right now?
In 2009, Phelim was ranked #4527 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Phelim most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 3 babies registered as Phelim in England and Wales.
How many people are called Phelim in the UK?
A total of 9 babies have been registered as Phelim across the 3 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here and 33 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Phelim most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Phelim ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #415 in 2017. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.