boy's name
Philippe
fee-LEEP
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 8
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 553,512
Canada
#375
2024 births
Philippe is a boy's name, the French form of Philip, from Greek elements meaning lover of horses. Our data marks it stable, and it charts in three markets with France far ahead at 758th.
- Philippe is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1963, when 26,215 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 10,718 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Philippe over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 3,905 |
| 1910s | 3,215 |
| 1920s | 5,865 |
| 1930s | 11,615 |
| 1940s | 29,965 |
| 1950s | 156,360 |
| 1960s | 229,600 |
| 1970s | 71,575 |
| 1980s | 17,860 |
| 1990s | 5,935 |
| 2000s | 1,905 |
| 2010s | 825 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 420 |
What Philippe means
Philippe means lover of horses. The Greek joins a word for love or affection to the word for a horse, so the name describes an attachment rather than a possession.
Where Philippe comes from
Philippe is the French form of the Greek Philippos — philos, loving, joined to hippos, a horse. Horse-owning marked the aristocratic class in archaic Greece, so the name carried social weight beyond the literal sense. Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great, is its most consequential ancient bearer, and six kings of France carried it, including Philippe Auguste, who took most of the Angevin lands from King John. The same Greek word for horse gives hippopotamus, the river horse, and hippodrome, the horse-racing course.
Philippe in use
Philippe peaked in France in 1963, when 26,215 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 758th in France on 55 births, 4214th in England and Wales and 6393rd in the United States, across 553,512 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. Like Michel and Alain it has stayed almost entirely French, unlike its English equivalent Philip, which spread widely.
How popular is Philippe?
In 2025, Philippe was given to 55 babies in France, ranking #758 that year. It is a rare choice.
Where Philippe is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Philippe
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Philippe also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Philippe over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Philippe
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Philippe in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Philippe
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Philippe — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Philippe
What does the name Philippe mean?
Lover of horses — the Greek philos, loving, joined to hippos, a horse.
Is Philippe the same as Philip?
Yes, it is the French form of the same Greek name.
Why does the name mean lover of horses?
Horse-owning marked the aristocratic class in archaic Greece, so the name carried social standing.
How popular is Philippe?
758th in France, and our data marks it stable rather than falling.
Is Philippe a girl's or a boy's name?
Philippe is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Philippe?
Philippe has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Philippe?
Philippe is usually shortened to Phil.
Is Philippe a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Philippe currently ranks #375 in France. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.