Philip: Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, & Inspiration

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2. Baby Names

Philip

Philip is of Greek origin and means "Horse lover."

- 1% this year Masculine Uncommon Updated: March 19, 2025 Updated: March 19, 2025 Table of contents

Boy name origins & meanings

• Greek : Horse lover

Boy name variations

Phillip Phillipa Philipe Philippos Philo Phillips Phelps Phipps Philipson Philby Phil Philly Felipe Filippo Filip Filbert

How Popular Is The Name Philip

Family name origins & meanings

• Scottish, Dutch, English, South Indian, etc. : from the Greek 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 Highland Scottish surname, it represents an Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Fhilib ‘son of Philip’. In North America, this surname has absorbed some cases of cognate names in other languages (e.g. French Philippe, Greek Philippos, Italian Filippi, Spanish Felipe, Catalan Felip, and their derivatives). As a Jewish name, it represents a borrowing of the personal name from Christians.

Appears on

• ​Greek First Names and Meanings
• ​75 "Old Man Names" That Are Popular Again
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• Greek Boy Names and Meanings

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