Philippe
Meaning
lover of horses; famously borne by the reigning King Philippe of the Belgians
The story
Philippe is French to its core, though the core is Greek: Philippos, lover of horses, the name of Alexander the Great's father. France crowned six kings called Philippe, among them Philippe II Augustus, who walled and paved medieval Paris and won the famous victory at Bouvines, and Philippe IV the Fair, who brought down the Knights Templar. The name still reigns: King Philippe of the Belgians has held his country's throne since 2013. In American records Philippe has never been more than a modest presence, a steady murmur sustained largely by French-speaking and Francophile families from Louisiana to New England, and that is where it sits today: quietly present, unmistakably French. For parents who love Philip but wish it arrived with a Parisian finish, Philippe is the same ancient name wearing a much better scarf.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Philippe has stayed rare in US records the whole time: no peak decade to name.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
1,653 people · the #5,849 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 125,000 · median age 30
Among people named Philippe living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 66 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Philippe
Most people given the name Philippe in the United States were born between 1960 and 2009. The Philippe you meet today is most often in his 30s or 40s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Philippe deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Philippe truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Philippe fits with your family’s names and surname.
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