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The surname Philip

A Greek patronymic surname, carried by 5,832 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈfɪlɪp/ 2 syllables Soundex P410 Also a first name

Philip: #5,910 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#100Jimenez#1,000Archer Philip #5,910, 5,832 people Philip: #5,910 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#100Jimenez Philip #5,910, 5,832 people
Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Philip is more common than 96.4% of them.

Origin

Greek origin

From Middle English Philip, ultimately from Ancient Greek Φίλιππος (Phílippos), name of ancient kings of Macedonia, from φίλιππος (phílippos, “fond of horses”), from φιλέω (philéō, “to love”) + ἵππος (híppos, “horse”).

Philip is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 45 Greek surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 5,832 people named Philip in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 52,940 Americans. That is up 27% since 2000, when the Census counted 4,584.

#5,910
rank among US surnames
5,832
people in 2010
2.0
per 100,000 Americans
+27.2%
change since 2000 (was #6,778)
RankSurnamePeople1 in
#5,901Grimsley5,84852,795
#5,903Gudino5,84752,804
#5,905Seale5,84652,813
#5,906Stackhouse5,84452,831
#5,907Frizzell5,84052,867
#5,908Mincey5,83952,876
#5,909Marchant5,83452,922

Who is named Philip

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

50% of people named Philip identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 30% as white (not Hispanic) and 16% as Black (not Hispanic).

  • Asian and Pacific Islander 50%
  • White (not Hispanic) 30%
  • Black (not Hispanic) 16%
  • Two or more races 2.3%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1.7%
  • American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Famous Philips

1 notable person on Wikidata, most written-about first

  • Aaron Philip
    American transgender female model, born 2000

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Surnames that sound like Philip

Philip has the Soundex code P410, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code P410.

Other Greek surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Philip come from?
From Middle English Philip, ultimately from Ancient Greek Φίλιππος (Phílippos), name of ancient kings of Macedonia, from φίλιππος (phílippos, “fond of horses”), from φιλέω (philéō, “to love”) + ἵππος (híppos, “horse”).
How common is the surname Philip?
5,832 people in the United States had the surname Philip in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 52,940 Americans. It ranked 5,910th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Philip?
In the 2010 Census, 50% of people named Philip identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 30% as white (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Philip?
Aaron Philip, American transgender female model.
Where is the surname Philip most common?
Wikidata records people named Philip in Antigua and Barbuda.
How do you pronounce Philip?
Philip is /ˈfɪlɪp/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Philip?
Philip is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Philip getting more or less common?
More common. 4,584 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 5,832 in 2010, up 27%.
What are other spellings of Philip?
Phillip and Filipp.
Is Philip also a first name?
Yes. Philip is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.