Given name · also Egyptian
Phineas
“oracle”·“the Nubian”·“from the serpent's mouth; an oracle”
Phineas is used as a given name. Interpretations include “oracle” (Egyptian), “the Nubian” (Egyptian), and “from the serpent's mouth; an oracle” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “oracle” (Egyptian), “the Nubian” (Egyptian), and “from the serpent's mouth; an oracle” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Egyptian.
How it developed
From Ancient Greek Φινέας, from Hebrew (פִינְחָס).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
The name appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
Phineas through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,803
- 2,803 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2016
- 142 babies
- 2025
- 105
- #1,616 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −14%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 105 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,616 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 13.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 142 in 2016. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (10). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,996 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Phineas’s family of names
In English usage, Phineas has a diminutive in PHINNY. Phineas has a related form in Pinchas. Phineas has a related form in Pinchus.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 17
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Phineas
- P. T. BarnumAmerican showman and politician (1810–1891)
- Phineas Gage19th century American railway worker who survived a large brain trauma1823–1860
- Phineas FletcherBritish writer1582–1650
- Phineas Parkhurst QuimbyAmerican writer (1802–1866)
- Phineas Newborn Jr.American jazz pianist (1931–1989)
- Phineas HitchcockAmerican politician (1831–1881)
- Phineas RiallBritish Army general1775–1850
- Phineas C. LounsburyAmerican politician (1841-1925)
- Phineas F. BreseeAmerican academic administrator and founder (1838–1915)
Characters named Phineas: Phineas Flynn (title character of "Phineas and Ferb").
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Phineas, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Tobias
“The Lord is good”
>99% boys
Gideon
“one who cuts down” · “a mighty warrior; one who fells trees”
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Mordecai
“devotee of the god Marduk” · “a servant of Marduk, a Babylonian god”
>99% boys
Elnathan
“God has given”
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Ananias
“Yah has been gracious” · “graciously given of Yah”
>99% boys
Barnabas
“son of consolation” · “the son of the prophet; the son of encouragement”
>99% boys
Cain
“craftsman”
>99% boys
Ozias
“power of Yah” · “Yah is strong”
>99% boys