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

Philips, 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 Philips surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Philips in America

Philips is the 5118th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Philips surname appeared 6,840 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 Philips.

We can also compare 2010 data for Philips 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 Philips

The surname Philips has its origins in ancient Greece, deriving from the Greek name "Philippos," which means "lover of horses." The name first appeared in England during the Norman Conquest of 1066 when many Greek and French settlers arrived with William the Conqueror.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Philips dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was spelled "Philippus." This early spelling was later anglicized to "Philips" and "Phillips." The name was particularly common in areas with strong Norman influence, such as Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname was Sir Thomas Philips (c. 1292-1367), a prominent English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was appointed Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in 1351. Another notable figure was William Philips (c. 1560-1608), an English playwright and poet who wrote the play "The Tragedie of Cambyses, King of Persia."

In the 17th century, the Philips family gained prominence in Wales, where they owned several estates. One of the most famous members was Sir Robert Philips (1591-1663), a Welsh politician and Member of Parliament who played a significant role in the English Civil War.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Philips surname became widespread across the British Empire. Some notable individuals from this period include John Philips (1676-1709), an English poet and writer best known for his work "The Splendid Shilling," and John Philips (1800-1885), an English geologist and writer who published several works on geology and paleontology.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Samuel Philips (1758-1827), an English inventor and businessman who founded the world-renowned Philips Electrical Company in Eindhoven, Netherlands, in 1891.

Throughout history, the Philips surname has been associated with various place names, including Phillipston in Gloucestershire, England, and Philipsburg in New Jersey, USA, which were named after members of the Philips family.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Philips

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

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

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

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