Philip

Philip: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “lover of horses”
Origin: Greek
Say it: FIL-ip · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys

From Greek Philippos, from philo- 'love' and hippos 'horse'. A longstanding classic borne by saints and kings.

Greek names English names Names meaning love Names meaning animal Classic names International names Biblical names

How popular is Philip?

2024176 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Philip in 2024586

2024 rank#521 boys

Peak year1949

Total US babies since 1880344,595

Philip is steady now but far below its 1949 peak.

Names like Philip

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Philliplover of horses · Greek
Felipelover of horses · Greek
Philfriend; beloved · Greek
Theodoregift of God · Greek
Sebastianfrom Sebaste · Greek
Alexanderdefender of men · Greek
Lukefrom Lucania · Greek
Christopherbearer of Christ · Greek

Philip questions

What does the name Philip mean?

Philip means "lover of horses". It comes from Greek. From Greek Philippos, from philo- 'love' and hippos 'horse'. A longstanding classic borne by saints and kings.

Is Philip a boy or girl name?

Philip is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Philip?

586 US babies were named Philip in 2024. Its peak year was 1949.

How do you pronounce Philip?

Philip is usually pronounced FIL-ip.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.