Philip
Philip was the 528th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 568 babies. Its best year was 1941, when it ranked 52nd; the most babies were born in 1953 (6,279). Over the last ten years it has moved down 95 places. More babies were named Philip in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning fond of horses · Greek
Say it FIL-ip /ˈfɪlɪp/
- Rank in 2025
- #528 boys, down 75 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 568boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19536,279 babies
- Total since 1880
- 345,173babies recorded
What does the name Philip mean?
Philip comes from Greek Philippos, "fond of horses", from philos, "loving", and hippos, "horse". DMNES and Wiktionary give this, and DMNES lists the apostle Philip, kings of Macedon (including the father of Alexander the Great), and many kings of France. The Random House dictionary notes both the apostle and the evangelist Philip of Acts.
φίλος (Ancient Greek, “loving, dear”)ἵππος (Ancient Greek, “horse”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Phillip, Felipe, Philippa, Phil.
See also: Greek names, names that mean love, names that mean an animal.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Philip', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Philip', DMNES, Durham University
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Philip', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Nicknames for Philip
The usual nicknames for Philip are Phil and Pip.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phil | Traditional | #8,078 | 43 |
| Pip | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Philips go by each one.
Philip popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,137 since 1896.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #528 | 568 |
| 2020 | #453 | 658 |
| 2010 | #404 | 699 |
| 2000 | #255 | 1,312 |
| 1990 | #111 | 3,143 |
| 1980 | #82 | 3,563 |
| 1970 | #92 | 3,520 |
| 1960 | #76 | 5,509 |
| 1950 | #53 | 6,070 |
| 1940 | #60 | 3,674 |
| 1930 | #75 | 2,655 |
| 1920 | #71 | 2,700 |
| 1910 | #83 | 418 |
| 1900 | #94 | 259 |
| 1890 | #88 | 192 |
| 1880 | #81 | 186 |
How popular is Philip, counting every spelling?
Philip is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #334 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #528 for Philip on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,046 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip | 568 | #528 | 3,055 |
| Phillip | 425 | #651 | 2,406 |
| Filip | 42 | #2,952 | 277 |
| Philipp | 5 | #13,403 | 36 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Philip?
568 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Philip (0.16 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Philip born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 15 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Philip.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Philip?
About 203,600 people born in the US named Philip are alive today, with a median age of 56; half are between 40 and 70. That makes Philip a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Philip by state
How common Philip was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Hampshire (2.8×), Massachusetts (1.9×), Virginia (1.8×), Louisiana (1.7×), New York (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nevada, Arkansas, Nebraska.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Philip: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Philip, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Philip · Sibling names for Philip
Questions about the name Philip
What does Philip mean?
Philip means “fond of horses” (Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Philip?
Philip was the 528th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 568 babies. Its best year was 1941, when it ranked 52nd; the most babies were born in 1953 (6,279). Over the last ten years it has moved down 95 places. More babies were named Philip in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Philip a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Philip in the US.
Where is Philip most popular?
In 2021–2025, Philip was most common in New Hampshire (0.99 per 1,000 boys), followed by District of Columbia and Massachusetts.