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

Phipps, 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 Phipps surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Phipps in America

Phipps is the 1519th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Phipps surname appeared 23,610 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Phipps.

We can also compare 2010 data for Phipps 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 Phipps

The surname Phipps originated in England and is believed to have derived from the Old English personal name Philip, which itself comes from the Greek name Philippos, meaning "lover of horses." The Phipps name emerged as an English patronymic surname, indicating "son of Philip."

The earliest recorded instances of the Phipps surname date back to the 13th century, with references found in various medieval records and documents. One notable mention is in the Hundredorum Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1273, which lists a William Philippes.

During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, including Philippes, Philippes, and Phylyppes, reflecting the different regional pronunciations and spelling conventions of the time. Some early records also indicate variations like Phippen and Phippson.

The name Phipps has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the 16th century, Sir Thomas Phipps (c. 1520-1583) was a prominent English politician and Member of Parliament. Another early bearer of the name was Sir Constantine Phipps (c. 1567-1619), an English Lord Mayor of London.

In the 18th century, Constantine John Phipps (1744-1792) was a notable British naval officer and explorer, best known for his unsuccessful attempt to find a Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He was later appointed the first Baron Mulgrave in recognition of his achievements.

Another significant figure was Sir William Phipps (1651-1695), a colonial American from Massachusetts who is remembered for his successful expedition to recover sunken Spanish treasure from a shipwreck off the coast of Florida.

In the 19th century, Sir Constantine Henry Phipps (1797-1863) was a British naval officer and politician who served as the First Lord of the Admiralty. Additionally, Henry Phipps (1839-1930) was an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Carnegie Steel Company with Andrew Carnegie.

While the Phipps surname is primarily associated with England and its colonial offshoots, it has also been documented in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and dispersal over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Phipps

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

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

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

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