Phillip
Phillip was the 651st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 425 babies. Its best year was 1950, when it ranked 64th; the most babies were born in 1960 (6,047). Over the last ten years it has moved down 242 places. More babies were named Phillip in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Philip) fond of horses · Greek
- Rank in 2025
- #651 boys, down 132 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 425boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19606,047 babies
- Total since 1880
- 312,891babies recorded
What does the name Phillip mean?
Phillip is a spelling of Philip, pronounced the same way, so it shares Philip's meaning and origin.
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
Phillip popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,330 since 1918.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #651 | 425 |
| 2020 | #519 | 553 |
| 2010 | #355 | 864 |
| 2000 | #198 | 1,776 |
| 1990 | #81 | 4,454 |
| 1980 | #65 | 4,633 |
| 1970 | #73 | 4,275 |
| 1960 | #66 | 6,047 |
| 1950 | #64 | 5,055 |
| 1940 | #79 | 2,628 |
| 1930 | #144 | 1,175 |
| 1920 | #164 | 840 |
| 1910 | #174 | 167 |
| 1900 | #166 | 127 |
| 1890 | #174 | 80 |
| 1880 | #174 | 75 |
How popular is Phillip, counting every spelling?
Phillip is a spelling of Philip, a name family that ranked #334 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #651 for Phillip 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 Phillip?
425 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Phillip (0.12 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Phillip 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 20 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Phillip.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Phillip?
About 223,300 people born in the US named Phillip are alive today, with a median age of 51; half are between 38 and 66. That makes Phillip mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Phillip by state
How common Phillip was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alabama (2.4×), Oregon (2.1×), South Carolina (2.0×), Oklahoma (1.8×), Kentucky (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nevada, Iowa, West Virginia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Phillip: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Phillip, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Phillip
What does Phillip mean?
Phillip is a spelling of Philip, which means “fond of horses” (Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Phillip?
Phillip was the 651st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 425 babies. Its best year was 1950, when it ranked 64th; the most babies were born in 1960 (6,047). Over the last ten years it has moved down 242 places. More babies were named Phillip in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Phillip a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Phillip in the US.
Where is Phillip most popular?
In 2021–2025, Phillip was most common in Alabama (0.67 per 1,000 boys), followed by Oregon and South Carolina.