PHILLIPSON
The surname Phillipson is of English origin and is a patronymic surname derived from the personal name Philip, which itself is taken from the Greek name Philippos.
In the Greek language the name Philippos is a compound of the verb philein meaning 'to love' and the noun hippos meaning 'horse', so the literal interpretation of the name is 'lover of horses'.
The suffix '-son' indicates descent; hence the surname Phillipson originally signified 'son of Philip'.
The earliest documentation of the surname in England appears in the 12th century, with a reference to Henry Philip appearing in the Hundred Rolls of 1275. Earlier, Wernherus Philippi of Worms in Germany was recorded in 1274, indicating the use of the patronymic form across Europe.
Over time the name has been recorded in more than one hundred spellings, including Philip, Phillip, Filip, Lippi, Filippeli, Filipichov and Khilkov; all these forms reflect the same root and are recognised as variants of Phillipson.
In contemporary times the surname is most common in the United Kingdom, particularly within England. In North America it is strongly represented in the United States, with a notable presence in the Mid‑Atlantic states of North and South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland, as well as in the New England states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The name also appears across Canada, mainly in Ontario and British Columbia, and in Australia, especially in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Other parts of the world where the surname is found include New Zealand, South Africa, Southeast Asia, India and the Middle East.
Following the Crusades of the 11th and 12th centuries, Christian Europe saw an increased adoption of biblical and saintly names. The name Philip, associated with the apostle who appears in the New Testament, gained wider use during this period, which in turn reinforced the popularity of patronymic surnames such as Phillipson.
Overall, Phillipson is a surname with deep historical roots, a clear etymological lineage from Greek through Old French to English, and a broad geographic distribution that mirrors patterns of migration and cultural influence across the English‑speaking world and beyond.
Typical given names associated with the Phillipson surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
Female
- Alison
- Anne
- Catherine
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
- Yvonne
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Phillipson in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 2,596 people named Phillipson in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,416th most common surname in Britain. Around 40 in a million people in Britain are named Phillipson.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Phillipson
- Bridget Phillipson - Labour Party politician; Member of Parliament for Houghton and Sunderland South since the 2010 gener
- Antony Phillipson - Diplomat
- Robert Phillipson - Linguist
- Tom Phillipson - Football player (1898 to 1965)
- Paul Phillipson - Cricketer
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.