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

Philip, 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 Philip surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Philip in America

Philip is the 5910th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Philip surname appeared 5,832 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Philip.

We can also compare 2010 data for Philip 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.

The history of the last name Philip

The surname Philip is derived from the Greek personal name Philippos, which was formed from the elements philos meaning "lover, friend" and hippos meaning "horse". The name first emerged in ancient Greece and later spread to other parts of Europe through the conquests of Alexander the Great and the influence of the Byzantine Empire.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Philip can be traced back to medieval England, where it was introduced by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholders commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, includes several entries for individuals bearing the name Philip, such as Philip de Nortfolc and Philip de Brachis.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Philip was particularly prevalent in regions with strong Norman influence, such as the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex in eastern England. It was often associated with landed gentry and nobility, as evidenced by the appearance of various Philip families in historical records, including the Phillipps of Picton Castle in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and the Philips of Tenterden, Kent.

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Philip was Sir John Philip, a Welsh soldier and landowner who lived in the 14th century. He fought in the Hundred Years' War and was knighted by Edward III in recognition of his military service. Another prominent individual was Sir Edward Phillip (1530-1600), an English soldier and member of Parliament during the reign of Elizabeth I.

In the 16th century, the surname Philip was also found in various spellings, such as Phillipps, Phillips, and Philips, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions. One notable example is the Phillips family of Picton Castle, who can trace their lineage back to Sir John Phillipps (1555-1629), a Welsh landowner and Member of Parliament.

Throughout history, several distinguished individuals have borne the surname Philip, including:

1. John Philip (1775-1851), a Scottish missionary and explorer who traveled extensively in South Africa and played a significant role in the establishment of the Cape Colony.

2. John Philips (1676-1709), an English poet and writer best known for his mock-heroic poem "The Splendid Shilling".

3. Thomas Phillips (1770-1845), an English portrait painter who painted notable figures such as Lord Byron, William Wordsworth, and Sir Walter Scott.

4. Ralph Phillips (1690-1771), an English merchant and philanthropist who founded several educational institutions, including the prestigious Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.

5. Wendell Phillips (1811-1884), an American abolitionist, advocate for Native American rights, and orator who played a prominent role in the anti-slavery movement.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Philip

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

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 Philip was:

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 Philip has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Philip was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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