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

Philon, 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 Philon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Philon in America

Philon is the 56310th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Philon surname appeared 363 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 Philon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Philon 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 Philon

The surname Philon has its origins in ancient Greece, where it was derived from the Greek word "philos," meaning "friend" or "lover." It was likely originally used as a nickname or surname for someone who was known for their friendly or affectionate nature.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Philon can be found in the works of the ancient Greek philosopher Philo of Alexandria, who lived from around 20 BC to 50 AD. Philo's full name was Philon, and he was a highly influential figure in the development of Jewish-Hellenistic philosophy.

During the Middle Ages, the name Philon spread throughout Europe as a result of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Many Norman nobles and soldiers bearing the name settled in England and other parts of the British Isles, leading to the establishment of various branches of the Philon family.

In the 13th century, a notable figure named William Philon was recorded as holding lands in Gloucestershire, England. This suggests that the Philon name had become well-established in certain regions of England by this time.

Another prominent individual with the surname Philon was Jean Philon, a French architect and engineer who lived from 1617 to 1688. He was renowned for his contributions to the design and construction of fortifications and was appointed as the chief engineer of France by King Louis XIV.

During the 17th century, the Philon name also appeared in various records in the Netherlands, where it was sometimes spelled as "Philoon" or "Filoon." One such individual was Pieter Philon, a Dutch painter who was born in 1619 and is known for his portraits and genre scenes.

In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the Philon surname was John Philon, an English philosopher and theologian who lived from 1720 to 1808. He was a prominent figure in the Anglican Church and wrote extensively on topics related to religion and ethics.

As the Philon name spread across Europe and beyond, it encountered various spelling variations, such as "Philon," "Phillon," "Filion," and "Filion." These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and linguistic changes over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Philon

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

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

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

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