Philip
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Philip
Philip, the name of one of the 12 apostles, is still favored by parents in search of a solid boys' classic that is less neutral than Robert or John and more distinctive than Daniel or Matthew and has many historic, royal ties.
Famous bearers include Saint Philip and King Philip the Great, who was the father of Alexander the Great, plus there have been numerous other French and Spanish rulers named Philip.
Thanks to the Duke of Edinburgh, though, Philip has a certain built-in reserve, somewhat straight and staid.
When it comes to nicknames, you're not limited to the midcentury Phil -- more lively ones include Pip and Flip.
The name can also be spelled Phillip; that spelling is consistently used almost exactly as much as this spelling, and in 2017 there were exactly as many baby Phillips as there were baby Philips.
Some other modern Philip namesakes are writer Roth, late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, architect Johnson, and composer Glass. Model Eva Herzigova named her baby Philip.
Philip comes via Latin from the Greek and was a Top 100 choice for a century, before fading in the late-1980s. In literature, Philip Pirrip is the full name of Pip from Great Expectations. Other Philips appear in the novels of Jane Austen, George Eliot, and William Thackeray -- not to mention Raymond Chandler's detective Philip Marlowe.
Philip is also given to girls.
Pronounced FIL-up.
As of October 2026, Philip ranked #528 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #52 in 1941, Nameberry popularity #227.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #389 | 799 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #433 | 706 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #435 | 712 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #426 | 729 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #437 | 693 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #439 | 696 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #452 | 658 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #452 | 675 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #493 | 618 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #499 | 605 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #521 | 586 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #528 | 568 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Philip for boys
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Philip.
Philip on lists
Famous Philips
- Philip IBoy
III, Dukes of Burgundy
- Philip I and IIBoy
Kings of Macedon
- PhilipBoy
Biblical apostle
- Philip IBoy
V, Kings of Spain
- Philip IBoy
VI, Kings of France
- Philip IIIBoy
King of Navarre
- Philip Leopold Lewis MarieBoy
King of Belgium
- Philip of SwabiaBoy
King of Germany
- PhilipBoy
King of Sweden
- Philip aka MetacometBoy
King of the Native American Wampanoag people
- Philip MountbattenBoy
Prince of the UK; Duke of Edinburgh; husband of Queen Elizabeth II
- Philip Seymour HoffmanBoy
American actor
- Philip Morris GlassBoy
American composer
- Philip Michael RiversBoy
American NFL football player
- Philip "Phil" Richard ErenbergBoy
American Olympic gymnast
- Philip PullmanBoy
English novelist
- Eugene Joseph "Philip" CareyBoy
American actor
- Philip ReeveBoy
English novelist
- Philip Kindred DickBoy
American novelist
- Philip Milton RothBoy
American novelist
- Philip LevineBoy
American Poet Laureate
- Philip Guston (born Phillip Goldstein)Boy
American painter
- Philip Douglas "Phil" JacksonBoy
American basketball coach and team president
- Philip David Charles "Phil" CollinsBoy
English musician
- Philip Hampson "Phil" KnightBoy
American co,founder of Nike
- Philip John "Phil" KeoghanBoy
New Zealand host of TV's "The Amazing Race"
- Philip "Phil" Michael LesterBoy
English radio host and internet personality known as AmazingPhil
- Philip "Phil" JamiesonBoy
lead singer of Australian band Grinspoon
- Philip George ZimbardoBoy
American psychologist
- Phillip PhillipsBoy
American singer
- Philip HamiltonBoy
first son of Elizabeth and Alexander Hamilton
- Philip Marsiaj (b. 2011)Boy
son of Czech model and actress Eva Herzigová
- Philip Cairns (b. 1973)Boy
13 year old Irish boy who went and still is currently missing either from Ballyroan or Rathfarnham in south Dublin in 1986
Philip in pop culture
- Philip "Pip" PirripBoy
character in Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations"
- Philip HerritonBoy
character in movie "Where Angels Fear to Tread"
- Philip "The GovernorBoy
" character on TV's "The Walking Dead"
- Philip "Phil" DunphyBoy
character on TV's "Modern Family"
- Prince PhilipBoy
character in Disney's "Sleeping Beauty"
- Philip J. FryBoy
main character in animated sitcom "Futurama"
- Prior PhilipBoy
a main character in Ken Follett's "The Pillars of Earth"
- Philip FletcherBoy
main character in G. A. Henty's "St. Bartholomew's Eve"
- PhilipBoy
name chosen by both Angela and Pam for their sons on TV's "The Office"
- Philip MaylandsBoy
main character in R. M. Ballantyne's "Post Haste"
- Philip Ronan “Lip” GallagherBoy
character on TV’s “Shameless”
- Philip WittebaneBoy
character from the animated show "The Owl House"