Phoebe (given name)

Phoebe or Phœbe ( FEE-bee; Ancient Greek: Φοίβη, romanized: Phoíbē) is a female name, the feminine form of the male name Phoebus (Φοῖβος), an epithet of Apollo meaning "bright", "shining", and “pure”. In Greek mythology, Phoebe was a Titan associated with the power of prophecy as well as the moon. This was also an epithet of her granddaughter Artemis. A moon of Saturn bears this name in honor of the Titan. A certain Phoebe also appears in Paul the Apostle's Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament, a female minister in the church at Kechries near Corinth. An alternate spelling is Phebe, and an older style Phœbe. Phereby and numerous phonetic spellings of the name are variants of Phoebe that developed in the American South. The name was popular in the Anglosphere during the 17th century. Phoebe has increased in usage in English-speaking countries since the 1990s. Phoebe Buffay, a main character on the American television series Friends, which aired from 1994 to 2004, helped popularize the name.