2000
#5,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,362
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.99
Rare Last name
Philpot
A diminutive form of Philip, meaning "lover of horses," originating as a nickname for someone who resembled Philip.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,937 Americans carry the last name Philpot. That puts it at #6,311 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,732 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Philpot 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Philpot with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 57,732
Census rank
#6,311
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,177 bearers of the surname Philpot in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6311th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Philpot, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Philpot
The surname Philpot has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "philip" meaning lover of horses, and "pot" referring to a pot or vessel. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who worked with horses and pots, possibly a blacksmith or potter.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there is an entry for a landowner named Philipot in Oxfordshire. This is one of the earliest recorded instances of the name.
The name has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Philpot Lane in London and Philpot End in Hertfordshire. These locations may have been named after individuals with the surname Philpot, or the name may have derived from the place names themselves.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Philpot was John Philpot (c. 1516-1555), an English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake for his religious beliefs during the Marian Persecutions.
Another notable figure was John Philpot (1589-1645), an English barrister and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and was involved in the English Civil War on the Parliamentarian side.
In the 17th century, George Philpot (1628-1707) was an English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London from 1696 to 1697.
John Philpot (1735-1808) was an English clergyman and educator who served as the headmaster of Westminister School in London and was known for his writings on education.
More recently, Olga Philpot (1881-1951) was a British author and playwright known for her novels and plays set in rural England.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Philpot, highlighting its long-standing presence and varied backgrounds within English society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Philpot
Among Census respondents with the surname Philpot, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Philpot 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 Philpot surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.8% · 3,508
- Black or African American23.7% · 1,227
- Two or more races4.7% · 244
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 149
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Philpot
Philpot 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
#6,160
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,558
+196 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Down 251 places
2020
#6,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,177
-381 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 151 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,909 | 5,362 | 1.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,160 | 5,558 | 1.88 | +196 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 251 places |
| 2020 | #6,311 | 5,177 | 1.73 | -381 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 151 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 Philpot 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 | #6,160 | #6,311 | -2.5% |
| Count | 5,558 | 5,177 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.88 | 1.73 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Philpot bearers went from 5,558 to 5,177 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 151 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,160 to #6,311.
FAQ
Philpot surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Philpot?
Name Census estimates that about 5,937 living Americans carry the surname Philpot. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,732 residents.
How common is Philpot?
Philpot ranks #6,311 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,177 people with the surname Philpot. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,937), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Philpot.
Has Philpot become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Philpot went from 5,558 recorded bearers to 5,177. That is a decrease of 381 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,160 to #6,311.
What does the Census say about the background of Philpot?
Among Census respondents with the surname Philpot, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.7%) 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 Philpot in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.8% (3,508 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Philpot appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.8%), Black (23.7%), 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 Philpot (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 Philpot mean?
A diminutive form of Philip, meaning "lover of horses," originating as a nickname for someone who resembled Philip. 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 Philpot (1.73 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 have the surname Philpot?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.