2000
#7,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,047
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.50
Rare Last name
Philpott
Derived from a medieval nickname meaning "pot belly," likely referring to a rotund or stout individual.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,642 Americans carry the last name Philpott. That puts it at #7,860 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,838 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Philpott 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 Philpott with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 73,838
Census rank
#7,860
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,048 bearers of the surname Philpott in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7860th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Philpott, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Philpott
The surname Philpott originated in England during the late medieval period. It is a locational surname derived from the Old English words "philippes" and "cot," meaning "Philip's cottage." This suggests that the name arose from a place where someone named Philip or a family with the name Philip once resided.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it appears as "Philipotescote." This indicates that the name was already well-established in the region by the 13th century.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a place called "Philippescote" is mentioned, which is believed to be the origin of the Philpott surname. This entry provides evidence of the name's long history in England, dating back to the Norman conquest.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John Philpott, who was born in Hartland, Devon, in 1516. He was a prominent figure during the English Reformation and served as the Archdeacon of Winchester from 1551 to 1555.
Another notable figure with the surname was Sir John Philpot (1585-1645), an English landowner and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1624. He played a significant role in the early years of the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, Joseph Philpott (1706-1789) was a renowned English poet and clergyman. He was born in Compton, Berkshire, and is best known for his religious poetry and sermons.
The Philpott name also has connections to the city of Bristol, where a prominent family bearing the surname resided in the 16th and 17th centuries. One member of this family, Richard Philpott (1590-1662), was a merchant and served as Mayor of Bristol in 1642.
Another notable figure with the Philpott surname was Sir Herbert Philpott (1884-1960), a British diplomat and author. He served as the British Ambassador to Argentina from 1936 to 1939 and wrote several books on foreign affairs and international relations.
The Philpott surname has a rich history deeply rooted in England, with its origins dating back to the medieval period. The name's locational derivation and early appearances in historical records, such as the Domesday Book, highlight its long-standing presence in the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Philpott
Among Census respondents with the surname Philpott, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Philpott 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 Philpott surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.9% · 3,314
- Black or African American7.7% · 312
- Two or more races4.0% · 161
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 151
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Philpott
Philpott 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
#7,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,142
+95 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 403 places
2020
#7,860
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,048
-94 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Up 121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,578 | 4,047 | 1.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,981 | 4,142 | 1.40 | +95 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 403 places |
| 2020 | #7,860 | 4,048 | 1.35 | -94 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 121 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 Philpott 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 | #7,981 | #7,860 | 1.5% |
| Count | 4,142 | 4,048 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.35 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Philpott bearers went from 4,142 to 4,048 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 121 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,981 to #7,860.
FAQ
Philpott surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Philpott?
Name Census estimates that about 4,642 living Americans carry the surname Philpott. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,838 residents.
How common is Philpott?
Philpott ranks #7,860 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,048 people with the surname Philpott. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,642), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Philpott.
Has Philpott become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Philpott went from 4,142 recorded bearers to 4,048. That is a decrease of 94 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,981 to #7,860.
What does the Census say about the background of Philpott?
Among Census respondents with the surname Philpott, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Philpott in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.9% (3,314 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Philpott appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.9%), Black (7.7%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Philpott (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 Philpott mean?
Derived from a medieval nickname meaning "pot belly," likely referring to a rotund or stout individual. 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 Philpott (1.35 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 Philpott?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.