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

Philp, 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 Philp surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Philp in America

Philp is the 21184th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Philp surname appeared 1,239 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 Philp.

We can also compare 2010 data for Philp 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 Philp

The surname Philp originated in England in the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the personal name Philip, which itself comes from the Greek name "Philippos" meaning "lover of horses". The earliest known records of the name date back to the late 13th century in the counties of Devon and Cornwall in southwest England.

The Philp surname is thought to have evolved from the Norman-French spelling of "Philip" as "Phelip" or "Phelipp", with the "p" sound eventually solidifying into the modern spelling. Early examples of the name can be found in tax rolls and parish records from this region, with variations like Phelipp, Philipp, and Phillipp appearing frequently.

One of the earliest known references to the Philp name is in the Subsidy Rolls of Devon from 1327, which mention a "Thomas Phelip". Another early record is the Poll Tax of 1379 in St. Columb Major, Cornwall, listing a "John Philipp".

Place names like Phillack in Cornwall and Philip's Norton in Somerset may have influenced some variations of the spelling. The Domesday Book of 1086 does not appear to contain any direct references to the Philp name.

Notable individuals with the Philp surname throughout history include:

1. John Philp (c.1585-1629), an English clergyman and writer who published sermons and religious works.

2. Robert Kemp Philp (1819-1882), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as the 13th Premier of Queensland.

3. Margaret Philp (1866-1958), a Scottish trade unionist and suffragette who campaigned for women's rights and workers' rights.

4. James Philp (1901-1975), a Scottish professional footballer who played for Rangers F.C. and the Scottish national team.

5. Robert Broom Philp (1810-1887), a British soldier and artist known for his watercolor paintings of scenes from the First Anglo-Afghan War.

While the Philp name originated in southwest England, it has since spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and other English-speaking countries through migration and settlement over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Philp

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

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

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

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