English
Philip
Philip comes from Ancient Greek Φίλιππος, from φίλιππος ‘fond of horses’ (φιλέω ‘to love’ + ἵππος ‘horse’).
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΦίλιππος1Phílippos‘fond of horses’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500Philip1
- Englishearliest quotation 1605Philip1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English Philip
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1605, William Camden, Remains Concerning Britain: “Philip Berold, conceiting this his name, very Clerkly proves…”.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΦίλιπποςWiktionary, English PhilipPhílippos‘fond of horses’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500PhilipWiktionary, English Philip
- Englishearliest quotation 1605PhilipWiktionary, English Philip. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1605, William Camden, Remains Concerning Britain: “Philip Berold, conceiting this his name, very Clerkly proves…”
A compound of φιλέω ‘to love’ + ἵππος ‘horse’
Proto-Indo-European *bʰil- ‘harmonious, friendly’
Ancient Greek φῐ́λος ‘beloved, dear’
Ancient Greek φιλέω ‘to love’
Proto-Indo-European *h₁éḱwos ‘horse’
Proto-Hellenic *íkkʷos ‘horse’
Ancient Greek ἵππος ‘horse’
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Today it means
name One of the twelve disciples of Jesus in the Bible; one of the seven deacons.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “Philip”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek Φίλιππος / Philip