Philomena

Philomena meaning

Philomena is a Christian girl's name of Greek origin.

Loved, beloved (Greek philoumenē, from phileō, 'to love')

Also used to mean: lover of strength

Philomena is usually traced to Greek philoumenē, 'loved', from the verb phileō, which the Liddell–Scott–Jones lexicon defines as 'to love, regard with affection' and, in the passive, 'to be loved'. Some scholars instead split it into philos, 'friend', and menos, 'strength, courage', which is why many name lists give 'lover of strength'. The name belongs to St Philomena, a young martyr whose remains were reported found in a Roman catacomb in 1802 and whose cult spread quickly across the Catholic world. In India it is especially associated with Mysuru, whose great St Philomena's Church is a city landmark.

Source: Liddell, Scott and Jones, A Greek–English Lexicon (9th ed., 1940), s.v. φιλέω · entry phileō (φιλέω) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Liddell–Scott–Jones, φιλέω (Perseus) · Wikipedia, Filomena · Wikipedia, Philomena

Famous namesakes

• St Philomena, early Christian virgin martyr

Spellings

Philomena · Filomena · Philomina

Related names

Also meaning love

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