Explore the Family Name Philippe

The meaning of Philippe

Breton, French, Walloon, West Indian (mainly Haiti), and Mauritian: from the French personal name Philippe (see Philip). In France, this surname is most common in Brittany. It is also found in the Flemish part of Belgium. History: Jean Philippe dit Beaulieu from Gruchet-le-Valasse in Seine-Maritime, France, married Catherine Galarneau in Charlesbourg, QC, in 1685. Some characteristic forenames: French/Haitian Jacques, Ghislaine, Alain, Andre, Camille, Dieuseul, Emile, Francois, Guerda, Henri, Jean Robert, Jean-Pierre.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Philippe in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Philippe has seen a surge in popularity between 2000 and 2010. Ranked as the 20,028th most popular surname in 2000, it jumped to 14,160th place in 2010, marking a 29.3% increase. The number of people with the Philippe surname also grew significantly within this period, from 1,239 individuals in 2000 to 2,121 in 2010. This represents a substantial increase of 71.19%. Moreover, the proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 residents rose by 56.52%, from 0.46 in 2000 to 0.72 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#20,028#14,16029.3%
Count1,2392,12171.19%
Proportion per 100k0.460.7256.52%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Philippe

In terms of ethnicity, figures from the Decennial U.S. Census show that there have been some shifts in the ethnic identity of individuals carrying the Philippe surname from 2000 to 2010. The largest group, those identifying as Black, saw an increase from 57.06% to 67.52%. Meanwhile, those identifying as White fell from 30.67% to 26.36%, a decline of 14.05%. The percentage of individuals of Hispanic ethnicity experienced a slight rise from 2.66% to 3.11%. The group of people identifying with two or more races saw a significant decrease from 8.88% to 2.26%, a decline of 74.55%. The census data did not record any individuals with the Philippe surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native for both years.

20002010Change
Black57.06%67.52%18.33%
White30.67%26.36%-14.05%
Hispanic2.66%3.11%16.92%
Two or More Races8.88%2.26%-74.55%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%

Philippe 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 Philippe is French & German, which comprises 38.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (19.0%) and Spanish & Portuguese (14.3%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Eastern European, Ashkenazi Jewish, Nigerian, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
French & German38.0%
British & Irish19.0%
Spanish & Portuguese14.3%
Other28.7%
Philippe

Possible origins of the surname Philippe

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 Philippe have recent ancestry locations in France and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Ile De France, France23.10%
Auvergne Rhone Alpes, France23.10%
Greater London, United Kingdom21.80%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom21.80%
West Midlands, United Kingdom21.80%

What Philippe 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 Philippe is R-L2, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L2 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include E-P179 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Larose, Soler, Bertrand, Hudson, Ashton, Pino, Lavigne, Craig, Owen, Trigg.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Philippe surname are: H1, N, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

philippePaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Philippe 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

Philippe

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Philippe" Surname 35.3%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Philippe

Cheek Dimples

Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.

"Philippe" Surname 54.5%

23andMe Users 37.6%

Wellness

Philippe

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Philippe" Surname 10.0%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Philippe?

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 Philippe are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

French & German 60.8%

23andMe Users 57.2%