Phelim as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Phelim

What is the meaning of the name Phelim ?

The baby name Phelim is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced Irish: FAY-lim (approx. /ˈfeɪlɪm/); Anglicized: FELL-əm or FEL-im (approx. /ˈfɛləm/ or /ˈfɛlɪm/).

Phelim is Irish in Origin.

Phelim is the Anglicized form of Irish Féilim (also Feidhlim, Feidlimid), from Old Irish Feidlimid, a name conveying the sense of being “ever good,” “constant,” or “enduring.” Usually pronounced FAY-lim, it is unrelated to Philip despite the initial “Ph.” Variant spellings include Felim, Feilim, Féilim, Feidhlim, Feidhlimidh, and Feidlimid. The Irish diminutive Féilimí also appears, and the accent mark is often kept in modern Irish usage (Féilim).

The name has deep roots in Gaelic tradition. Bearers include Saint Féilim (St. Phelim) of Kilmore, a 6th–7th‑century bishop, the scholarly Munster king Feidlimid mac Crimthainn (9th century), and Féilim Ua Conchobair, 13th‑century king of Connacht. In Early Modern and colonial records it often appears as Phelim or Felim, with continued visibility through figures such as Sir Phelim O’Neill in the 17th century. Today it remains rare but resonant, revived during the Irish cultural renaissance.