2010
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Philippeaux
A French habitational surname referring to someone from a location named Philippe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Philippeaux. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Philippeaux 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Philippeaux in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Philippeaux, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Philippeaux
The surname PHILIPPEAUX originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French given name Philippe, which itself comes from the Greek name Philippos meaning "friend of horses." The suffix "-eaux" indicates a plural form or geographic connection.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PHILIPPEAUX appears in the 1292 tax rolls of Normandy, where a certain Jehan Philippeaux is listed as a landowner in the village of Barenton. This suggests the name may have originated in that region.
By the 14th century, various spellings like Philipeaux, Phelippeaux, and Philippeau cropped up across northern France in areas such as Picardy and Île-de-France. The name was likely widespread among wealthy rural landowners and minor nobility.
An important early bearer was Jacques Philippeaux (c.1420-1505), a merchant and alderman from Rouen who helped finance voyages to the New World. His patronage enabled the expeditions of explorers like Jacques Cartier.
During the French Wars of Religion in the 16th century, the PHILIPPEAUX name appears in records from both Catholic and Protestant factions. Noël Philippeaux (1549-1621) fought for the Huguenots and later fled France, settling in Switzerland.
Antoine Philippeaux (1756-1794) was a radical Jacobin leader during the French Revolution. He played a role in overthrowing the Girondins and establishing the Reign of Terror before being executed himself.
Throughout the 19th century, PHILIPPEAUX families could be found across France as the surname spread to cities like Paris, Lyon, and Marseille. Notable bearers include author Rémy Philippeaux (1804-1867) and painter Achille Philippeaux (1825-1895).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Philippeaux
Among Census respondents with the surname Philippeaux, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Philippeaux 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 Philippeaux surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American96.7% · 116
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Philippeaux
Philippeaux appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,722 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 4,722 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 Philippeaux 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 | #137,327 | #142,049 | -3.4% |
| Count | 122 | 120 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Philippeaux bearers went from 122 to 120 (-1.6% change). The surname moved down 4,722 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #142,049.
FAQ
Philippeaux surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Philippeaux?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Philippeaux. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Philippeaux?
Philippeaux ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Philippeaux. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Philippeaux.
Has Philippeaux become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Philippeaux went from 122 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Philippeaux?
Among Census respondents with the surname Philippeaux, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Philippeaux in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Philippeaux appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (96.7%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Philippeaux (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 Philippeaux mean?
A French habitational surname referring to someone from a location named Philippe. 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 Philippeaux (0.04 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 common is the surname Philippeaux?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Philippeaux is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.