Phibbs last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Phibbs is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Phibbs.

Meaning of Phibbs

An English surname derived from a diminutive form of Philip.

Phibbs, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Phibbs surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Phibbs in America

Phibbs is the 30799th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Phibbs surname appeared 756 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Phibbs.

We can also compare 2010 data for Phibbs to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 30799 29447 4.49%
Count 756 756 0.00%
Proportion per 100k 0.26 0.28 -7.41%

The history of the last name Phibbs

The surname Phibbs is believed to have originated in England, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be a variant of the surname Phipps, which itself is derived from the medieval personal name Philip. This name is of Greek origin, meaning "lover of horses."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Phibbs surname can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Stogursey, Somerset, where a William Phibbs was baptized in 1593. The Phibbs family appears to have been concentrated in the West Country of England during the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly in the counties of Somerset and Devon.

In the 17th century, the name Phibbs began to appear in various historical records, such as the Hearth Tax Returns of 1662-1666, which documented households subject to a tax based on the number of hearths or fireplaces they had. Entries for individuals with the surname Phibbs can be found in several parishes across Somerset and Devon during this period.

One notable individual bearing the Phibbs surname was John Phibbs, a prominent English gardener and landscape architect born in 1620 in Somerset. He was responsible for designing and creating several renowned gardens in England, including those at Blenheim Palace and Longleat House. His work had a significant influence on the English landscape garden style of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Another individual of historical significance was William Phibbs, a British naval officer who served during the 18th century. He was born in 1705 in Devon and rose through the ranks of the Royal Navy, eventually becoming a Captain in 1748. He played a role in several naval engagements during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War.

In the 19th century, the Phibbs surname continued to be present in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall. One notable individual from this period was Thomas Phibbs, born in 1812 in Taunton, Somerset. He was a prominent local businessman and served as the Mayor of Taunton from 1865 to 1866.

Another individual of note was John Phibbs, a British soldier who fought in the Crimean War. He was born in 1832 in Exeter, Devon, and served as a sergeant in the 97th Regiment of Foot. He participated in the Battle of Inkerman in 1854 and was awarded the Crimean War Medal for his service.

As the surname Phibbs spread across England and into other parts of the British Isles, it also made its way to other parts of the world through emigration. Today, the name can be found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Phibbs

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Phibbs.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Phibbs was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.11% 719
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.46% 11
Hispanic Origin 2.65% 20

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Phibbs has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.11% 94.71% 0.42%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.93% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.46% 1.32% 10.07%
Hispanic 2.65% 1.85% 35.56%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Phibbs was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Phibbs, please contact us.

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Phibbs last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 16, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/phibbs-surname-popularity/.

"Phibbs last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/phibbs-surname-popularity/. Accessed 16 July, 2025

Phibbs last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/phibbs-surname-popularity/.

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