Phillip

Phillip: a double-l spelling of a Greek horse name

Phillip means “friend of horses,” through Philip and the Greek Philippos. The spelling has two l’s but the same pronunciation as Philip: FILL-ip. Its doubled consonant was inspired by the surname spelling, giving this version of the ancient name a recognizable identity in English.

The Greek meaning and the wider family

Philippos joins philos, meaning friend or lover, with hippos, meaning horse. Both “friend of horses” and “lover of horses” express the connection. The name was used by Macedonian kings, including Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great.

It also appears in the New Testament as the name of the apostle Philip and another early Christian figure usually called Philip the Deacon. Those religious associations helped carry the name through Christian communities. Its European history later included royal use in France and Spain as well as a medieval English presence.

Phillip belongs to that same family through its English spelling variant. Philip has one l; German Philipp instead doubles the final p. Filip is another widely used European form. The small changes in lettering make these related names look different even when their historical connection remains close.

Phillip Sharp and the discovery of split genes

Molecular biologist Phillip A. Sharp gives the double-l spelling an important scientific association. He shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Richard J. Roberts for the discovery of split genes. Their independent work in 1977 changed how scientists understood the organization of genetic information.

The discovery showed that some genes contain separated stretches of information along the DNA molecule. When the information is used, RNA processing joins the relevant sections together. This challenged the earlier expectation that the continuous gene structures observed in bacteria would provide a universal model.

At MIT, Sharp’s research explored gene expression and RNA splicing, connecting the original discovery with a larger field of molecular biology. The work also helped researchers understand how mistakes in splicing can contribute to disease. His career brings the name into a story of laboratory discovery whose influence extends well beyond the original experiment.

Pronunciation and nicknames

English Phillip stresses its first syllable. The opening ph sounds like f, and the doubled l adds no extra syllable. Phil is the established one-syllable short form; Pip is another traditional familiar option. Both belong to Philip as well, so families using either full spelling share the same nickname choices.

Phillip in the United States

Phillip reached its best U.S. boy-name rank of 64 in 1950. Its largest annual count followed in 1960, with 6,047 births.

The name ranked 409 in 2015, 519 in 2020, and 651 in 2025. These figures describe the double-l spelling specifically, giving Phillip a substantial American record of its own alongside its single-l relative.

How popular is Phillip?

In 2025, Phillip ranked #651 among boys in the United States, with 425 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for boys in 1880; its largest annual count was 6,047 in 1960. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.