This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Philip.' There is little need of instances for this batch of familiar surnames. Philip ceased to be popular as a font-name after the reigns of Mary and Elizabeth for patriotic reasons. Nevertheless its earlier predominance has given it immortality in our directories.

Simon fil. Philippi, Kent, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Henry Phelipe, Norfolk, ibid.

Alicia Philippes, Huntingdonshire, ibid.

Ellis fil. Philip, Huntingdonshire, ibid.

Cecilia Philipp. 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

1617. Hugh Fisher and Elizabeth Philipson: Marriage Lic. (London).

(Anglo-Latin-Greek) Horse-Lover [Latin Philippus, Greek Φίλιππος—Φίλ-ος, loving; ίππος, a horse]

(Welsh, English) The son of Philip (lover of horses).

See Philip. More than 200 traders of this name are found in the Lond. Direct.

Phillips: Phillips. Limiting our attention in the first place to the distribution of Phillips, the commonest form of Philip, we observe that it is confined to Wales and to the part of England south of a line drawn from the Humber to the Mersey, being by far the most numerous in the western half of this area, including Wales, and being much less frequent in the eastern part. Its great home is in South Wales and Monmouthshire, but it is also frequent in Herefordshire, Staffordshire, Cornwall, and Devonshire If we include the several other forms of the name, we find that Philip in its various shapes is still mainly confined south of the line above given, the Phillipsons of Northumberland being the only representatives of the name in the north of England. Philips is not an uncommon name in different parts of Scotland. It will also be remarked that the main features of the distribution are the same, its comparative scantiness in the eastern half of its area and its frequency in the western half, including Wales. In some counties the contractions and corruptions of Philip often take the place of Phillips, the commonest and least altered form, and are associated with it in others. Thus, the frequency of the name of Phelps gives Somerset a pre - eminence that it would not have obtained from Phillips alone. Phelps and Phipps similarly raise the counties of Gloucester and Worcester considerably in the scale. The absence or rarity of Phillips in Warwickshire and Northamptonshire is supplied, or compensated for, by Phipps; and Cornwall receives from Philp a further lift in position. Taking all the forms of the name of Philip together, we find that they distinguish different regions and counties in the following order: first comes South Wales and Monmouthshire, then Cornwall and Gloucestershire, then Herefordshire and Worcestershire, then Staffordshire, and after it Devon and Somerset There are a few distant derivatives of the names of Philip, which I think should be separately treated, to wit, Philpot and Philpots, which are chiefly south of England names. Phippen or Phippin is a Somerset form. However, I am now entering into debatable ground, and can only here remark that the more distant derivatives of Philip do not affect the main features of its distribution already discussed. The Philippos of Norfolk and Suffolk I have not included, there being something suspicious, indicating an independent origin, in the terminal o.