2000
#15,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,741
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.65
Rare Last name
Philipp
A surname derived from the Greek personal name Philippos, meaning "friend of horses".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,221 Americans carry the last name Philipp. That puts it at #14,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,324 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Philipp 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.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 154,324
Census rank
#14,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,937 bearers of the surname Philipp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Philipp, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Philipp
The surname Philipp has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the personal name Philipp, which is the German form of the Greek name Philippos, meaning "lover of horses." The name was popular among the nobility and aristocracy in medieval Germany.
The earliest recorded instances of the Philipp surname date back to the 13th century in various regions of present-day Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. The name was often associated with influential noble families who held titles and lands. One notable example is Philipp von Hessen, born in 1504, who was a prominent German prince and one of the earliest supporters of the Protestant Reformation.
During the medieval period, the Philipp surname was sometimes spelled differently, such as Philipp, Phillipp, or Phillipps, depending on the region and the scribe's preference. In some instances, the name was also associated with place names, such as Philippsburg or Philippsheim, indicating the family's origins or landholdings.
The Philipp surname gained further prominence during the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods, with several notable figures bearing the name. Johann Philipp von Schönborn, born in 1605, was a renowned prince-bishop of the Holy Roman Empire and an influential patron of the arts. Another notable figure was Johann Philipp Krieger, born in 1649, a German composer and organist who made significant contributions to the development of the Baroque music style.
In the 19th century, the Philipp surname continued to be associated with notable individuals. One example is Philipp Müller, born in 1804, a German poet and dramatist who wrote plays and poems inspired by the Romantic movement. Additionally, Philipp Veit, born in 1793, was a renowned German painter and a prominent figure in the Nazarene movement, which sought to revive the spiritual and artistic values of the Italian Renaissance.
Throughout its history, the Philipp surname has been carried by numerous individuals across various fields, including academia, politics, and the arts. Some other notable figures with this surname include Philipp Melanchthon, born in 1497, a German scholar and one of the key figures in the Protestant Reformation, and Philipp Rehbock, born in 1500, a German artist and woodcarver known for his intricate works in churches and cathedrals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Philipp
Among Census respondents with the surname Philipp, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Philipp 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 Philipp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 1,714
- Two or more races4.9% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 28
- Black or African American1.1% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Philipp
Philipp 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
#16,362
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,760
+19 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 916 places
2020
#14,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,937
+177 bearers (+10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 1,645 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,446 | 1,741 | 0.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,362 | 1,760 | 0.60 | +19 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 916 places |
| 2020 | #14,717 | 1,937 | 0.65 | +177 bearers (+10.1%) | Up 1,645 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 Philipp 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 | #16,362 | #14,717 | 10.1% |
| Count | 1,760 | 1,937 | 10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.65 | 8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Philipp bearers went from 1,760 to 1,937 (+10.1% change). The surname moved up 1,645 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,362 to #14,717.
FAQ
Philipp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Philipp?
Name Census estimates that about 2,221 living Americans carry the surname Philipp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,324 residents.
How common is Philipp?
Philipp ranks #14,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,937 people with the surname Philipp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,221), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Philipp.
Has Philipp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Philipp went from 1,760 recorded bearers to 1,937. That is an increase of 177 (+10.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,362 to #14,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Philipp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Philipp, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Philipp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (1,714 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Philipp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Philipp (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 Philipp mean?
A surname derived from the Greek personal name Philippos, meaning "friend of 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 Philipp (0.65 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 share the surname Philipp?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.