Philip

Philip meaning

Philip is a Christian boy's name of Greek origin.

Fond of horses; from philos (friend, fond) and hippos (horse)

Philip comes from the Greek Philippos. Strong's Concordance builds it from philos, "friend" or "fond", and hippos, "horse", giving "fond of horses"; name lists say "lover of horses". It was a royal name in ancient Macedonia, borne by Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great. In the New Testament Philip is one of the twelve apostles; John's Gospel tells how Jesus called him and how he in turn brought Nathanael to Jesus (John 1:43–46). A second Philip, the evangelist, explains the scriptures to an Ethiopian official and baptises him (Acts 8). The name is used in Christian families in India and is also spelt Phillip.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, G5376 · entry Philippos · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Strong's Greek 5376, Philippos (Bible Hub) · John 1 (KJV, Bible Hub) · Britannica, List of the Twelve Apostles

Famous namesakes

• Saint Philip the Apostle

Popularity abroad

• #528 United States, boys 2025 (down 7 from 521 in 2024)
  US Social Security Administration
• #549 England and Wales, boys 2025
  Office for National Statistics

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Spellings

Philip · Phillip · Filip

Related names

More names of Greek origin

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