NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Filipe

A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "lover of horses".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Filipe is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Filipe popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5119, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2014, with 12 births.

This profile covers 143 England and Wales registrations across 25 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 25% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 142 living people in the UK are called Filipe. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Filipe ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2014, when 12 boys were registered as Filipe.
  • About 142 living people in the UK are estimated to have Filipe as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#5119

2024

Births in 2024

3

Latest year

Peak year

2014

12 births

Estimated living

142

2026

Meaning

What does Filipe mean?

The name Filipe has its origins in the Greek language, derived from the Greek name Philippos, which means "lover of horses." It is a variant spelling of the more common English name Philip. The name first appeared in ancient Greek texts and historical records dating back to the 4th century BC.

One of the earliest and most notable figures with this name was Filipe II, also known as Philip II of Macedon, who lived from 382 BC to 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and played a crucial role in the expansion and consolidation of the Macedonian Empire in ancient Greece.

During the medieval period, the name Filipe gained popularity in Portugal and other parts of the Iberian Peninsula. It was widely used among the Portuguese nobility and royal families. One of the most famous Portuguese kings with this name was Filipe I, who reigned from 1581 to 1598. He was also known as Philip II of Spain, as he inherited both the Portuguese and Spanish crowns.

In the 16th century, the name Filipe appeared in the writings of Portuguese explorer and writer Fernão Mendes Pinto, who chronicled his travels through Asia and the Orient. His work, "Peregrinação" (The Travels of Mendes Pinto), published in 1614, is considered a classic of Portuguese literature.

Another notable figure with the name Filipe was Filipe Neri, an Italian priest and saint who lived from 1515 to 1595. He is known as the founder of the Congregation of the Oratory, a religious order dedicated to community life and apostolic works.

In the 20th century, Filipe Duarte, a Portuguese writer and poet, gained recognition for his contributions to Portuguese literature. He was born in 1918 and is best known for his poetry collections, including "A Cidade Invaded" (The Invaded City) and "Os Amantes Inseparáveis" (The Inseparable Lovers).

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Filipe over time

The chart below shows babies named Filipe registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Filipe, the clearest high point is 2014. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 12 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Filipe
036912199620102024

Decades

Filipe by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Filipe was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #4047 17 4
2010s #2800 75 10
2000s #2862 35 7
1990s #2487 16 4

Related

Names similar to Filipe

FAQ

Filipe: questions and answers

How popular is the name Filipe in the UK right now?

In 2024, Filipe was ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Filipe most popular?

The peak year on record was 2014, with 12 babies registered as Filipe in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Filipe?

A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "lover of horses".

How many people are called Filipe in the UK?

A total of 143 babies have been registered as Filipe across the 25 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.