Philips
Deriving from ancient Greek, signifying a lover of horses.
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Philips. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Philips today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Philips births was 1938 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Philips. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Philips. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
1938
6 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2018 SSA rank
#13,606
Tracked since 1928
Popularity
Philips: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Philips from the 1920s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Philips by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Philips during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Philips
The name Philips has its roots in the ancient Greek language, originating from the word "philos," meaning "beloved" or "friend," and "hippos," meaning "horse." It is believed to have emerged as a given name during the classical Greek period, around the 5th century BC.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Philips can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who mentions a figure named Philippos of Crotona, a Greek colonist in Italy during the 6th century BC. The name also appears in various ancient Greek texts and inscriptions, suggesting its widespread use during that time.
In the New Testament of the Bible, there is a reference to a man named Philip, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. This Philip is often referred to as "Philip the Apostle" or "Philip the Evangelist." He is credited with spreading the teachings of Christianity in various regions, including Samaria and Caesarea.
During the Middle Ages, the name Philips gained popularity across Europe, particularly in regions influenced by Greek culture and the Eastern Orthodox Church. One notable figure from this period was Philip the Arab, who ruled as Roman Emperor from 244 to 249 AD. He is remembered as one of the few Roman Emperors born in the Roman province of Arabia.
In the Renaissance and Early Modern periods, the name Philips continued to be widely used, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One of the most famous was Philip II of Spain (1527-1598), a powerful monarch who ruled over a vast empire that included Spain, the Netherlands, and parts of Italy and the Americas.
Other notable historical figures with the name Philips include Philip III of France (1245-1285), known for his involvement in the Eighth Crusade; Philip IV of France (1268-1314), who played a significant role in the suppression of the Knights Templar; and Philip V of Spain (1683-1746), the first Bourbon king of Spain.
People
Philips + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Philips as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Philips: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Philips?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Philips going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Philips a common name?
We classify Philips as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 21 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Philips most popular?
The single biggest year for Philips was 1938, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Philips is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Philips a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Philips in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.