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

Philipps, 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 Philipps surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Philipps in America

Philipps is the 17613th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Philipps surname appeared 1,595 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Philipps.

We can also compare 2010 data for Philipps 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 Philipps

The surname PHILIPPS is derived from the personal name Philip, which has Greek origins meaning "lover of horses". It is believed to have originated in England, possibly during the Middle Ages when personal names were adopted as hereditary surnames.

The earliest recorded instances of the PHILIPPS surname can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of England, such as Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Shropshire. It was often spelled with variations like Phillipps, Philips, or Philippes during that time period.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are references to individuals with the given name Philip, but no specific mentions of the surname PHILIPPS. However, the surname likely emerged from these early records of the personal name.

The PHILIPPS surname has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One example is Sir Robert Philipps (1587-1663), a Welsh judge and politician who served as the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.

Another prominent individual bearing this surname was John Philipps (1589-1663), an English lawyer and politician who served as the Speaker of the House of Commons from 1659 to 1660.

In the literary realm, Katherine Philips (1632-1664), also known as the "Matchless Orinda", was an acclaimed English poet and writer who gained recognition for her poetry during the 17th century.

The PHILIPPS surname can also be traced to place names such as Phillipstown in Ireland, which was named after Sir Robert Philipps, and Phillips County in Arkansas, named after Sylvanus Phillips, an early settler in the region.

Other notable individuals with the PHILIPPS surname include William Philipps (1775-1828), a Welsh landowner and antiquarian, and John Philipps (1701-1764), a Welsh landowner and Member of Parliament.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Philipps

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

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

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

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