Given name & surname
Pharaoh
“great house”·“great civilization”
Pharaoh is used as a given name and a surname.
Original Hebrewפרעה
Meaning & origin
What it means
As a biblical name, Pharaoh means “great house” or “great civilization.”
From biblical name research
Where it comes from
Pharaoh is a biblical name from Egyptian.
From biblical name research
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1979. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Pharaoh appears in Exodus 14:28.
From biblical name research
Pharaoh through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,997
- 1,992 boys · 5 girls
- Most popular year
- 2019
- 203 babies
- 2025
- 73
- #2,051 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −30%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 73 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,051 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 29.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 203 in 2019. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (9). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 916 as a first name in 2020; 172 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Similar names
If you love Pharaoh, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Abimael
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>99% boys
Amaziah
“Yah is strong” · “strength of Yah”
90% boys · 10% girls
Adonai
“my foundation” · “my Lord”
88% boys · 12% girls
Asriel
“God has filled with joy”
>99% boys
Hazael
“God has seen”
77% boys · 23% girls
Zabdiel
“God has given” · “gift of God”
>99% boys
Jahdiel
“God makes glad” · “God gives joy”
>99% boys
Eliab
“(my) God is father”
>99% boys