2000
#6,778
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,584
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.70
Rare Last name
Philip
Derived from the Greek name Philippos, meaning "friend of horses" or "one who loves horses."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,786 Americans carry the last name Philip. That puts it at #5,009 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,022 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Philip surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Philip with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 44,022
Census rank
#5,009
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,790 bearers of the surname Philip in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5009th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Philip, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.8%. The next largest groups are White (22.5%) and Black (14.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Philip
Among Census respondents with the surname Philip, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.8%. The next largest groups are White (22.5%) and Black (14.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Philip bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Philip surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander57.8% · 3,923
- White22.5% · 1,529
- Black or African American14.2% · 962
- Two or more races2.8% · 191
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 157
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Philip
Philip appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,832
+1,248 bearers (+27.2%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Up 868 places
2020
#5,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,790
+958 bearers (+16.4%)
Per 100,000 2.27
Rank movement Up 901 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,778 | 4,584 | 1.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,910 | 5,832 | 1.98 | +1,248 bearers (+27.2%) | Up 868 places |
| 2020 | #5,009 | 6,790 | 2.27 | +958 bearers (+16.4%) | Up 901 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Philip surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,910 | #5,009 | 15.2% |
| Count | 5,832 | 6,790 | 16.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.98 | 2.27 | 14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Philip bearers went from 5,832 to 6,790 (+16.4% change). The surname moved up 901 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,910 to #5,009.
FAQ
Philip surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Philip?
Name Census estimates that about 7,786 living Americans carry the surname Philip. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,022 residents.
How common is Philip?
Philip ranks #5,009 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,790 people with the surname Philip. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,786), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Philip.
Has Philip become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Philip went from 5,832 recorded bearers to 6,790. That is an increase of 958 (+16.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,910 to #5,009.
What does the Census say about the background of Philip?
Among Census respondents with the surname Philip, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.8%. The next largest groups are White (22.5%) and Black (14.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Philip in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.8% (3,923 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Philip appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (57.8%), White (22.5%), Black (14.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Philip (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Philip mean?
Derived from the Greek name Philippos, meaning "friend of horses" or "one who loves horses." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Philip (2.27 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Philip?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.