Contents [hide]

Phillip History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Phillip History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Wales
Ireland

The ancestors of the bearers of the name Phillip were the ancient Britons that inhabited in the hills and Moors of Wales. This surname was derived from the personal name Philip. This name, which was usually Latinized as Philippus, was originally derived from the Greek name Philippos. This Greek name was composed of the words "philein," which means "to love," and "hippos," which means "horse." The personal name Philip owed its popularity to the medieval romances about Alexander the Great, whose father was Philip of Macedon.

Philip of Poiters (died 1208?) was Bishop of Durham and a favourite clerk of Richard I. He accompanied the latter on his crusade of 1189, and was present at his marriage with Berengaria of Navarre at Cyprus in 1191. 1

Early Origins of the Phillip family

The surname Phillip was first found in Kent, where legend has it that the family (but not the surname) is descended from Maximus, the Briton, Roman Emperor from 383 until his death in 388, and the King of Britain, when he married the daughter of Octavius, King of the Britons. Later the family was forced back into Wales by the invading Saxons, where they traditionally claim descent from Tudwal (c.AD 528-564) "of the wounded knee," a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, first King of Wales.

Early History of the Phillip family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Phillip research. Another 160 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1279, 1500, 1533, 1543, 1560, 1566, 1568, 1570, 1586, 1587, 1588, 1594, 1599, 1604, 1613, 1614, 1620, 1629, 1630, 1631, 1638, 1640, 1644, 1653, 1662, 1674, 1675, 1676, 1680, 1696, 1699, 1701, 1706, 1709, 1720, 1721, 1724, 1749 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Phillip History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Phillip Spelling Variations

Although there are not an extremely large number Welsh surnames, there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations of those surnames. This variety of spellings began almost immediately after the acceptance of surnames within Welsh society. As time progressed, these old Brythonic names were eventually were recorded in English. This process was problematic in that many of the highly inflected sounds of the native language of Wales could not be properly captured in English. Some families, however, did decide to modify their own names to indicate a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even a patriotic affiliation. The name Phillip has seen various spelling variations: Phillips, Philips, Phillip, Philip, Pilip, Pillips, Fillip, Filip, Filips, Phillipes, Philipes, Phillup, Philups, Fillups, Filups, Pilups, Pillups, Fulop and many more.

Early Notables of the Phillip family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

James Philipps (1594-1674), was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1653 and 1662; Edward Phillips (1630- c.1696) and his brother John Phillips (1631-1706) both wrote important...
Sir Edward Phelips (1638-1699), was an English landowner and politician; and Richard Phillips (ca.1640-1720), was an English politician
On the infamous side, John Phillips (died 1724), an English pirate captain who started his pirating career in 1721, but was killed in his sleep by his own prisoners three years later

Phillip Ranking

In the United States, the name Phillip is the 4,866^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Phillip family to Ireland

Some of the Phillip family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 109 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Phillip migration to the United States +

The Welsh migration to North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries contributed greatly to its rapid development. These migrants were in search of land, work, and freedom. Those Welsh families that survived the long ocean journey were critical to the development of new industries and factories, and to the quick settlement of land. They also added to an ever-growing rich cultural heritage. A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Phillip:

Phillip Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Phillip, who settled in Virginia in 1623
William Phillip and his son Joseph settled in Pennsylvania in 1682

Phillip Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John and Joseph Phillip, who settled in Philadelphia in 1753 and 1759 respectively

Phillip Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Francis Phillip, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1836 3
Etienne Phillip, who arrived in Mississippi in 1852 3
J. Phillip, who settled in Texas in 1858

Phillip Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. James Phillip, (b. 1879), aged 24, Cornish miner, from Scorrier, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 31st May 1903 en route to Manorville, Pennsylvania, USA 4

Phillip migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Phillip Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Edward Phillip, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Navarino" in 1848 5
Judge J. Phillip, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Cromwell" in 1849 6
James Phillip, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "David Malcolm" in 1849 7
Hannah Phillip, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Amazon"

Phillip migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Phillip Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Phillip, who landed in Bay of Islands, New Zealand in 1840
Henry J Phillip, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Charles Phillip, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ionic" in 1884
Arthur Phillip, aged 15, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ionic" in 1884

Contemporary Notables of the name Phillip (post 1700) +

Admiral Arthur Phillip (1738-1814), English vice-admiral born in the parish of Allhallows, Bread Street, London, he was assigned the duty of forming a convict settlement in Australia in 1786 and became the 1st Governor of New South Wales
Andrew Michael "Handy Andy Phillip (1922-2001), American guard/forward in professional basketball
Mrs. Katherine FIona Phillip O.B.E., née Craig, British Deputy Complex Trauma Manager for Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Armed Forces Casualty Recovery 8
William Phillip (b. 1600), English translator who made several translations, chiefly of books of travel, from the Dutch
John Phillip (1817-1867), Scottish subject and portrait painter from Aberdeen
Mary Phillip (b. 1977), English football player
Frank Phillip Sibley (1947-2024), English footballer and a member of the QPR double winning side
Cameron Phillip Heyward (b. 1989), American football defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League
Richard Phillip Ieyoub Sr. (1944-2023), American attorney and politician from the state of Louisiana, Attorney General of Louisiana from 1992 to 2004
Anthony Phillip Mann MNZM (1942-2022), British-born New Zealand science fiction author, professor of drama at Victoria

The Phillip Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ducit amor patriae
Motto Translation: Patriotism leads me.

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) NAVARINO 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Navarino.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CROMWELL 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Cromwell.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DAVID MALCOLM 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849DavidMalcolm.htm
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists