Fun Facts About the Name Pharaoh
- More than 1 thousand babies named Pharaoh: U.S. records list 1,995 babies given the name Pharaoh from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 girls received the name Pharaoh - about 1 girl for every 398 boys.
What Does the Name Pharaoh Mean?
Pharaoh is a royal title rather than a personal name by origin, and it means "great house." It comes from the Egyptian phrase pr-ꜥꜣ (also written per-aa), formed from pr, "house," and ꜥꜣ, "great." The phrase first named the royal palace and its administration, not the king himself; by extension it came to stand for the ruler, the way "the Crown" or "the White House" can stand for a government or its head.
The form passed into other languages as a title: Hebrew Parʿoh (פַּרְעֹה), Greek Pharaō (Φαραώ) in the Septuagint and New Testament, and Latin Pharaō in the Vulgate. English "Pharaoh" comes through these forms. Its literal sense is the palace; the meaning "king of Egypt" is the customary extension of that literal sense.
Pharaoh Name History & Origins
Egyptian pr-ꜥꜣ, "great house," appears in Old Kingdom texts as a term for the palace and the royal administration. Its use as a way of referring to the king himself is attested by the Eighteenth Dynasty, and in New Kingdom documents it designates the reigning monarch. From about the Twenty-second Dynasty it was also used in ordinary official wording for the king. Because Egyptian kings were normally identified by their full five-part royal titulary, this phrase worked as a title, not a personal name.
The Hebrew Bible treats it the same way, using Parʿoh with no personal name attached in the accounts of Joseph, Moses, and the Exodus. A few later passages do join it to an individual ruler's name, as with Pharaoh Neco and Pharaoh Hophra in the books of Kings and Jeremiah, and the Greek New Testament uses Pharaō as a title for the Egyptian king. English translations from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries fixed the spelling "Pharaoh" in familiar use.
In modern English-speaking countries the word is occasionally adopted as a personal name, though it remains rare and is recognized mainly as the ancient royal title rather than as an inherited given name with its own line of development.
How Popular is the Name Pharaoh?
Pharaoh has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2019. Its best rank was #1,024 in 2019.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | #17,548 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,051 | 73 | 0.0043% |
| 2024 | #1,756 | 94 | 0.0055% |
| 2023 | #1,524 | 116 | 0.0068% |
| 2022 | #1,290 | 148 | 0.0085% |
| 2021 | #1,354 | 137 | 0.0078% |
| 2020 | #1,197 | 160 | 0.0093% |
| 2019 | #1,024 | 203 | 0.0113% |
| 2018 | #1,178 | 162 | 0.0089% |
| 2017 | #1,262 | 145 | 0.0078% |
| 2016 | #1,312 | 138 | 0.0073% |
| 2015 | #1,450 | 117 | 0.0061% |
| 2014 | #1,745 | 87 | 0.0045% |
| 2013 | #2,323 | 55 | 0.0029% |
| 2012 | #2,666 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 2011 | #2,984 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 2010 | #4,335 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2009 | #2,934 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 2008 | #4,114 | 25 | 0.0012% |
| 2007 | #4,937 | 19 | 0.0009% |
| 2006 | #4,071 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 2005 | #4,973 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2004 | #4,732 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2003 | #5,204 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2002 | #6,411 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2001 | #6,332 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #10,012 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #6,952 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #10,872 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #7,105 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #4,813 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #7,582 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #5,037 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1979 | #5,871 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Pharaoh Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a power of expression, either in speaking or writing. You are in favor for studying and research. You are clever, clear-sighted and intellectual. You don't like to let others know your true feelings. You might be atheistic or agnostic. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Pharaoh's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Pharaoh's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.