PHIPPS
The surname Phipps is of English provenance, deriving ultimately from the medieval given name Philip. This personal name was contracted from the Greek Philippos, composed of the elements philein (to love) and hippos (horse), giving the literal sense of “lover of horses.”
In England the name acquired a patronymic form, indicating descent from an ancestor called Philip. The early documents record a variety of spellings, including Phillipus, Philip, Phipps, Phelps and Pherps. Such range of orthography reflects the absence of standardised spelling in the Middle Ages and the transmission of the name across Christian Europe, or Christendom, as noted in historical records.
Evidence of the surname’s presence in England can be found in the Documents relating to the Danelaw, where a Filippus appears in Lincolnshire in 1142. A later appearance is that of Henry Phelipe in the Hundred Rolls of landowners in Norfolk in 1273, and a further example is John Phippes in the Calendar of Plea and Memoranda Rolls in 1364, the latter illustrating the use of the patronymic suffix to denote “son of Philip.”
The noble line of the Phipps family rose to prominence in the early modern period. Constantine Phipps (1656–1723) served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and his descendants were styled marquesses of Normandy and earls of Mulgrave. In contrast, Sir William Phipps (1651–1695) of New England was a ship's carpenter who was knighted by Charles I in 1680 and later became Governor of Massachusetts. These examples show the surname’s distribution beyond Britain, particularly within the British Empire.
While the spelling Phipps has become the most common modern form, the surname’s recorded history spans over six centuries of documents, clergy registers and legal rolls. Its lineage reflects both the cultural diffusion of a Greek personal name into Anglo‑English society and the social mobility of families that carried it through the centuries.
Typical given names associated with the Phipps surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Simon
- Stephen
Female
- Angela
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jane
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- 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 Phipps in...
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There are approximately 9,252 people named Phipps in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,021st most common surname in Britain. Around 142 in a million people in Britain are named Phipps.
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 Phipps
- Constantine Phipps, 5th Marquess of Normanby - Noble
- Martin Phipps - Composer
- Eric Phipps - Diplomat (1875 to 1945)
- Jill Phipps - Activist (1964 to 1995)
- Pete Phipps - Musician
- Jeremy Phipps - Army general; Senior British Loan Services Officer in Oman.
- Oswald Phipps, 4th Marquess of Normanby - Peer (1912 to 1994)
- Constantine Phipps, 3rd Marquess of Normanby - Noble (1846 to 1932)
- Nicholas Phipps - Actor (1913 to 1980)
- Constantine Phipps, 2nd Baron Mulgrave - Explorer (1744 to 1792)
- Harriadnie Beau Phipps - Fashion model
- Henrietta Phipps - Landscape gardener (1931 to 2016)
- Nick Phipps - Bobsledder
- Emily Frost Phipps - Lawyer (1865 to 1943)
- Harold Phipps - Football player (1916 to 2000)
- Angela Phipps - Canadian sprinter
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.