# Phelps (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/phelps/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname transferred from the given name.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 52,044 |
| US rank (2010) | 657 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 5,932 people |
| Change since 2000 | +1.7% (51,154 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /fɛlps/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Philip + genitive (mainly patronymic) suffix -s.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Phelps in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 85% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 9.7% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 1.8% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Phelps in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Venezuela.

## People named Phelps

- Michael Phelps, American swimmer (born 1985)
- Edmund Phelps, American economist
- Fred Phelps, American pastor and activist (1929-2014)
- Oliver Phelps, British actor
- Clarice Phelps, African American nuclear chemist
- Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps, American educator, botanist, author (1793-1884)
- James Phelps, British actor
- Jaycie Phelps, American gymnast
- Peter Phelps, Australian actor
- William Henry Phelps, American ornithologist and businessman (1875-1965)
- Mason Phelps, Amateur golfer (1885-1945)
- Lee Phelps, American actor (1893–1953)

and 12 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Phillips, Philips, Philipps, Phillipps, Palafox.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.