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

Phillis, 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 Phillis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Phillis in America

Phillis is the 24431st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Phillis surname appeared 1,025 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Phillis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Phillis 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 Phillis

The surname PHILLIS originated in England during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the personal name Philip, which was quite popular among early Christians and came from the Greek word "philos," meaning lover of horses. The surname likely emerged as a way to distinguish individuals with the same first name.

PHILLIS is thought to have first appeared in written records in the 13th century, with variations in spelling such as Phillipps, Phillipes, and Phillipps. One of the earliest documented instances was in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed a Robert Philips in Oxfordshire.

During the 14th century, the surname PHILLIS gained prominence in various regions of England, including Shropshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. It was also found in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, listing individuals like John Philips in Worcestershire and Walter Philips in Gloucestershire.

In the 15th century, the surname PHILLIS appeared in the Patent Rolls of 1429, where a Thomas Philips was mentioned in connection with land transactions in Warwickshire. The name was also present in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from the influential Paston family of Norfolk, dating back to the 1400s.

Notable individuals with the surname PHILLIS throughout history include:

1. John Philips (1676-1709), an English poet and writer best known for his work "The Splendid Shilling."
2. Samuel Philips (1555-1619), an English clergyman and author who served as the vicar of Bromyard, Herefordshire.
3. Edward Philips (1630-1696), an English writer and nephew of the poet John Milton. He wrote several works, including "The New World of English Words" and "The Mysteries of Love and Eloquence."
4. William Philips (1775-1828), an English geologist and mineralogist who made significant contributions to the study of mineralogy and crystallography.
5. John Philips (1801-1887), an English geologist and writer who authored works such as "Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain" and "Life on the Earth."

The surname PHILLIS has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Phillipshill in Buckinghamshire, Phillipston in Gloucestershire, and Phillipstown in Kent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Phillis

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

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

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

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