Quick answer
Phoebe is a girl name with Greek roots meaning "Bright".
Pronunciation: FEE-bee.
Meaning and history
Latinized form of the Greek name Φοίβη (Phoibe), which meant "bright, pure" from Greek φοῖβος ( phoibos ). In Greek mythology Phoibe was a Titan associated with the moon. This was also an epithet of her granddaughter, the moon goddess Artemis. The name appears in Paul 's epistle to the Romans in the New Testament, where it belongs to a female minister in the church at Cenchreae. In England, it began to be used as a given name after the Protestant Reformation. It was moderately common in the 19th century. It began to rise in popularity again in the late 1980s, probably helped along by characters on the American television shows Friends (1994-2004) and Charmed (1998-2006). It is currently much more common in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand than the United States. A moon of Saturn bears this name, in honour of the Titan.
Notes and context
Phoebe appears in Greek mythology and the New Testament.
Often compared with Chloe and Daphne.