2000
#18,135
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,416
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.52
Rare Last name
Phillippe
A French surname derived from the Greek name Philip, meaning "lover of horses."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,522 Americans carry the last name Phillippe. That puts it at #20,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 225,200 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Phillippe 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
1.5K
1 in 225,200
Census rank
#20,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,327 bearers of the surname Phillippe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Phillippe, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Phillippe
The surname Phillippe originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the personal name Philippe, which is the French form of the Greek name Philippos, meaning "lover of horses." The name became widespread during the Middle Ages when it was borne by several kings of France and other European royalty.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Phillippe can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists several individuals with variations of the name, such as Philipe and Philipp. These early spellings reflect the transition from the Greek to the French form of the name.
During the 12th century, the name Phillippe gained prominence in France due to Philippe II, also known as Philippe Auguste (1165-1223), who was one of the most influential monarchs of the Capetian dynasty. He played a key role in the Third Crusade and is credited with strengthening the power of the French monarchy.
Another notable bearer of the name was Philippe de Vitry (c. 1291-1361), a French composer, music theorist, and poet who is considered one of the most prominent figures of the Ars Nova movement in medieval music. His works had a significant impact on the development of polyphonic music in the 14th century.
In England, the name Phillippe is sometimes associated with the Norman Conquest, as many Norman nobles and soldiers who accompanied William the Conqueror in 1066 bore French names. One such individual was Philippe de Briouse (c. 1060-1119), a Norman baron who was granted extensive lands in Gloucestershire and became an important figure in the early Norman administration of England.
During the Renaissance period, Philippe Desportes (1546-1606) was a renowned French poet and one of the most influential members of the Pléiade, a group of 16th-century French Renaissance poets. His works were widely admired and influenced many other writers of his time.
Another notable bearer of the name was Philippe de Champaigne (1602-1674), a prominent French Baroque painter who is known for his portraits of the French royal family and members of the aristocracy. His works are characterized by their realism and attention to detail, reflecting the classical style of the 17th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Phillippe
Among Census respondents with the surname Phillippe, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Phillippe 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 Phillippe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 1,134
- Black or African American5.2% · 69
- Two or more races4.7% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Phillippe
Phillippe 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
#25,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 983
-433 bearers (-30.6%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Down 7,067 places
2020
#20,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,327
+344 bearers (+35.0%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Up 4,932 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,135 | 1,416 | 0.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,202 | 983 | 0.33 | -433 bearers (-30.6%) | Down 7,067 places |
| 2020 | #20,270 | 1,327 | 0.44 | +344 bearers (+35.0%) | Up 4,932 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 Phillippe 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 | #25,202 | #20,270 | 19.6% |
| Count | 983 | 1,327 | 35.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.33 | 0.44 | 34.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Phillippe bearers went from 983 to 1,327 (+35.0% change). The surname moved up 4,932 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,202 to #20,270.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Phillippe
FAQ
Phillippe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Phillippe?
Name Census estimates that about 1,522 living Americans carry the surname Phillippe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 225,200 residents.
How common is Phillippe?
Phillippe ranks #20,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.44 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 1,327 people with the surname Phillippe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,522), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.44 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 Phillippe.
Has Phillippe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Phillippe went from 983 recorded bearers to 1,327. That is an increase of 344 (+35.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #25,202 to #20,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Phillippe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Phillippe, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Phillippe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (1,134 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Phillippe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Black (5.2%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Phillippe (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 Phillippe mean?
A French surname derived from the Greek name Philip, meaning "lover 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 Phillippe (0.44 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 are called Phillippe?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Phillippe is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.