2000
#47
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 351,848
First available Census row
Per 100,000 130.43
Common Last name
Phillips
An English patronymic surname meaning "son of Philip," derived from the Greek name Philippos, meaning "friend of horses."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 394,079 Americans carry the last name Phillips. That puts it at #53 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 114.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 870 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Phillips surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Phillips with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
394K
1 in 870
Census rank
#53
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
115.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
344K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 343,656 bearers of the surname Phillips in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 114.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 53rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Phillips, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Phillips
The surname Phillips has its origins in the United Kingdom, tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from the personal name Phillip, which comes from the Greek name Philippos, meaning "lover of horses." The name was introduced to Britain by the Normans after the conquest of England in 1066.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Phillips surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property holdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared in various spellings, such as Phillipps, Phillipes, and Philips.
The Phillips surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Shropshire, Worcestershire, and Herefordshire, where many families bearing this name were established. Some notable individuals bearing the Phillips surname include:
1. Sir Robert Phillips (c. 1492 - 1558), a Member of Parliament and prominent landowner in Worcestershire.
2. Edward Phillips (1630 - 1696), an English writer and nephew of the poet John Milton, known for his work "The New World of English Words."
3. Samuel Phillips Jr. (1625 - 1696), a Puritan settler in Massachusetts Bay Colony and the founder of Phillips Academy Andover, one of the oldest boarding schools in the United States.
4. Catherine Phillips (1631 - 1664), also known as the "Matchless Orinda," was an English poet and playwright who was highly regarded in her lifetime.
5. Sir John Phillips (1555 - 1629), a Welsh soldier and politician who served as the High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire.
The Phillips surname also has variations in spelling, such as Phillipps, Philips, and Philpot, which can be traced back to different regions and branches of the family. Additionally, the name has been associated with various place names, such as Phillipston in Worcestershire and Philipstown in County Louth, Ireland, indicating the presence of Phillips families in those areas.
Over the centuries, the Phillips surname has spread across the globe, carried by migration and exploration. Today, it remains a prominent surname in many English-speaking countries, reflecting its long-standing history and deep roots in British and European culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Phillips
Among Census respondents with the surname Phillips, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Phillips bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Phillips surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.5% · 252,745
- Black or African American16.8% · 57,720
- Two or more races4.5% · 15,498
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 11,897
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 3,299
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2,497
Timeline
Historical Census data for Phillips
Phillips appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#52
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 360,802
+8,954 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 122.31
Rank movement Down 5 places
2020
#53
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 343,656
-17,146 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 114.97
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #47 | 351,848 | 130.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #52 | 360,802 | 122.31 | +8,954 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 5 places |
| 2020 | #53 | 343,656 | 114.97 | -17,146 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 1 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Phillips surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #52 | #53 | -1.9% |
| Count | 360,802 | 343,656 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 122.31 | 114.97 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Phillips bearers went from 360,802 to 343,656 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #52 to #53.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Phillips
FAQ
Phillips surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Phillips?
Name Census estimates that about 394,079 living Americans carry the surname Phillips. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 870 residents.
How common is Phillips?
Phillips ranks #53 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 114.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 115 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 343,656 people with the surname Phillips. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (394,079), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 114.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 114.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 115 of them to have the surname Phillips.
Has Phillips become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Phillips went from 360,802 recorded bearers to 343,656. That is a decrease of 17,146 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #52 to #53.
What does the Census say about the background of Phillips?
Among Census respondents with the surname Phillips, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Phillips in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.5% (252,745 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Phillips appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.5%), Black (16.8%), Two or More Races (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Phillips (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Phillips mean?
An English patronymic surname meaning "son of Philip," derived from the Greek name Philippos, meaning "friend of horses." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Phillips (114.97 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Phillips?
You can see how many people are called Phillips on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.