Explore the Family Name Philip
The meaning of Philip
1. Scottish, English, German, Dutch, and Jewish: from the Greek personal name Philippos (from philein ‘to love’ + hippos ‘horse’). In the New Testament this name is borne by one of the apostles; it was also borne by various other early Christian saints. It owes part of its popularity to the medieval romances about Alexander the Great, whose father was Philip of Macedon. As a Jewish name, it represents a borrowing of the personal name from Christians. As a Highland Scottish surname, it represents an Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Fhilib ‘son of Philip’. In North America, the English form of the surname has absorbed cognates from other languages, e.g. Spanish Felipe, Catalan Felip, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovenian or Croatian Filip, Albanian Filipi, and their derivatives (see examples at Philips). The name Philip is also found among Christians in southern India (compare Philipose and Pothen), but since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames, the southern Indian name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. Compare Phillip. 2. French (southern) and Breton (Finistère): variant of Philippe. Some characteristic forenames: Indian Varughese, Mathai, Babu, Reji, Anil, Binu, Neena, Prema, Raju, Reena, Susheela, Aleykutty.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Philip in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Philip" has seen an increase between 2000 and 2010. In terms of rank, it moved from position 6778 in 2000 to 5910 in 2010, marking a 12.81% shift upwards. The count of individuals with the surname also rose by 27.23% from 4584 in 2000 to 5832 in 2010. This shift corresponds to a rise in proportion per 100,000 people from 1.7 to 1.98, which constitutes a 16.47% increase.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,778 | #5,910 | 12.81% |
| Count | 4,584 | 5,832 | 27.23% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.7 | 1.98 | 16.47% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Philip
The ethnic identity associated with the surname "Philip" also saw changes across the decade according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. Between 2000 and 2010, there was a significant increase (29.37%) in the representation of Asian/Pacific Islanders bearing this surname, moving from 38.48% to 49.78%. Conversely, those identifying as White or Black saw a decrease in their representation, with Whites decreasing by 19.28% from 37.13% to 29.97%, and Blacks dropping by 15.32% from 18.67% to 15.81%. The proportion of Hispanics showed a small increase by 3.66%, while the percentage of those with two or more races decreased by 37.02%. There was no change in the representation of American Indian and Alaskan Natives.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 38.48% | 49.78% | 29.37% |
| White | 37.13% | 29.97% | -19.28% |
| Black | 18.67% | 15.81% | -15.32% |
| Two or More Races | 3.62% | 2.28% | -37.02% |
| Hispanic | 1.64% | 1.7% | 3.66% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.46% | 0.46% | 0% |
Philip ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Philip is Malayali Subgroup, which comprises 34.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (25.7%) and French & German (11.9%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, Southern Indian & Sri Lankan, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Malayali Subgroup | 34.2% |
| British & Irish | 25.7% |
| French & German | 11.9% |
| Other | 28.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Philip
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Philip have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 38.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 38.20% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 38.20% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 37.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 37.30% |
What Philip haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Philip is E-M180, which is predominantly found among people with Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Haplogroup E-M180 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include R-Z645 and I-L460, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Constantine, Grey, Thomas, Thorn, Emanuel, Lewis, Dix, Newman, Evans, Richards.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Philip surname are: M, H, M33a2. These most commonly trace back to individuals of Central & South Asian and European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Ramesses III
Pharaoh Ramesses III defended Egypt in three consecutive wars during his approximately 30-year reign, but provoked dissent within his administration. Catalyzed by mounting internal strife, one of Ramesses's lesser wives, Tiye, hatched a plot to have her son, Pentawer, usurp the throne by having Ramesses III murdered along with his appointed heir. A papyrus record of the resulting trial explains that the plot failed and that all involved were tried and convicted.However, a modern CT scan of Ramesses III's mummy revealed a deep slit in his throat, reopening a case long thought closed. The embalmers went to great lengths to cover up other wounds, including fashioning a fake toe out of resin where Ramesses's real one had been hacked off, likely during a fatal attack. For thousands of years, Ramesses's burial adornments concealed the wounds that mark one of the most famous royal dramas in history. Ramesses III's paternal lineage belongs to haplogroup E-V38.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Philip have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Philip" Surname 26.1%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Philip" Surname 53.3%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Philip" Surname 20.0%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Philip" Surname 12.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Philip?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Philip are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition