PHILPOTT
Philpott is a surname of English origin that in turn stems from the medieval given name Philip, itself derived from the Greek Philippos, meaning lover of horses. The suffix -ott functions as a diminutive, conveying a sense of little or son and thereby giving the name a patronymic sense: son of Philip.
Medieval records attest to the name’s use in England from at least the mid‑thirteenth century. The earliest documented spelling is that of John Philipot in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex dated 1327, during the reign of King Edward I. A Latinised form, Philipus, appears in the Gilbertine Houses register of Lincolnshire in 1150, and a version bearing the spelling Henry Philip is found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk in 1275. The recurrence of these names reflects the influence of Crusader knights returning from campaigns in the Holy Land, who introduced and popularised personal names of Greek or biblical origin across Europe.
The surname was also associated with the city of London in the late fourteenth century when a John Philpot served as Lord Mayor. A heraldic grant in 1378 bestowed upon him a coat of arms described as a black shield charged with an ermine bend, a design that remains linked to the Philpott lineage.
Throughout the centuries the surname has appeared in a number of orthographic forms, including Philpott, Phillipot, Phillpott, Philipot, Philpots, Phillipott and less common variants such as Phippard, Phippet, Philpard, Phippot, Phenpot, Plippot, Pilpot, Pilpott. Variations arose from regional pronunciation, varying levels of literacy and the lack of standardised spelling in early modern England.
In contemporary Britain the name is most concentrated in the Midlands, particularly in the counties of Cheshire, Derbyshire and Lancashire, as well as in the East and South Midlands comprising Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire. Nationwide, Philpott ranks the two‑thousand‑sixteenth most common surname in England with approximately six hundred and twenty‑nine new births recorded in the last year. In Wales it ranks at one‑thousand‑seventh‑thirteenth, with an estimated two hundred and twenty‑eight births. Outside the United Kingdom the surname is rare, with small numbers found in Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
In Ireland the variants Philpot and Pilpott are found in counties such as Cork, Clare, Dublin, Kerry, Monaghan, Roscommon and Sligo, while in Scotland the same forms appear mainly in the southern counties. The spelling Philpott is generally recognised as the most common form across England, Scotland, Ireland and the diaspora, reflecting its longstanding patronymic heritage and the enduring legacy of its Greek etymon.
Typical given names associated with the Philpott surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Caroline
- Christine
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
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 Philpott in...
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There are approximately 5,504 people named Philpott in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,724th most common surname in Britain. Around 85 in a million people in Britain are named Philpott.
Surname type: Diminutive
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Philpott
- Toby Philpott - Entertainer
- John Philpott - Actor
- Violet Philpott - Puppeteer and author (1922 to 2012)
- Lee Philpott - Football player and manager
- Henry Philpott - Cricketer (1829 to 1880)
- William Philpott - Cricketer (1819 to 1891)
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.