Fillis as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Fillis

What is the meaning of the name Fillis ?

The baby name Fillis is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈfɪlɪs/ (FIL-iss).

Fillis is Greek in Origin.

Fillis is a rare English feminine name, a phonetic spelling of Phyllis, ultimately from Greek Phyllís (Φυλλίς), “foliage, leaf,” from phýllon. The name entered Latin and then vernaculars through classical and pastoral literature, most famously the myth of the Thracian princess Phyllis, whose grief transformed her into an almond tree. The leafy, springlike meaning gave it bucolic associations prized by Renaissance poets.

In English records, Fillis appears from the 16th century onward as an alternative to Phillis/Phyllis, with the initial F- reflecting the loss of the Greek aspirate and the -y- simplified to -i-. While Phyllis surged in the early 1900s in Britain and North America, Fillis remained uncommon but attested in parish and colonial registers. Variants include Phyllis, Phillis, Philis, Filis, and the related Phyllida/Phillida; short forms Phyl/Phil also occur. The name conveys freshness, renewal, and a rustic, antique charm.

⚙ Fillis is seldom given. We count 21 recorded uses of it across 7 countries.