NameCensus.

UK surname

Phipps

Derived from the Old English personal name "Phip", which is a short form of "Philip", meaning "lover of horses".

In the 1881 census there were 4,439 people recorded with the Phipps surname, ranking it #1,012 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,525, ranked #1,036, down from #1,012 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Newland (Bream, Clearwell, Newland, Coleford), West Dean. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Torridge, South Northamptonshire and Cherwell.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Phipps is 6,754 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 47.0%.

1881 census count

4,439

Ranked #1,012

Modern count

6,525

2016, ranked #1,036

Peak year

2010

6,754 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Phipps had 4,439 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,012 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,525 in 2016, ranked #1,036.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,313 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Phipps surname distribution map

The map shows where the Phipps surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Phipps surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Phipps over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 2,877 #1,013
1861 historical 2,880 #1,007
1881 historical 4,439 #1,012
1891 historical 4,905 #953
1901 historical 5,776 #965
1911 historical 6,313 #813
1997 modern 6,333 #1,039
1998 modern 6,716 #1,007
1999 modern 6,733 #1,014
2000 modern 6,695 #1,012
2001 modern 6,540 #1,012
2002 modern 6,667 #1,018
2003 modern 6,526 #1,016
2004 modern 6,564 #1,012
2005 modern 6,381 #1,026
2006 modern 6,336 #1,035
2007 modern 6,394 #1,028
2008 modern 6,414 #1,030
2009 modern 6,615 #1,026
2010 modern 6,754 #1,026
2011 modern 6,635 #1,028
2012 modern 6,590 #1,014
2013 modern 6,660 #1,022
2014 modern 6,675 #1,025
2015 modern 6,558 #1,037
2016 modern 6,525 #1,036

Geography

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Where Phipps' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Newland (Bream, Clearwell, Newland, Coleford), West Dean. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Torridge, South Northamptonshire, Cherwell and Bridgend. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 Newland (Bream, Clearwell, Newland, Coleford), West Dean Monmouthshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Torridge 004 Torridge
2 South Northamptonshire 006 South Northamptonshire
3 Cherwell 004 Cherwell
4 Cherwell 010 Cherwell
5 Bridgend 004 Bridgend

Forenames

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First names often paired with Phipps

These lists show first names that appear often with the Phipps surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Phipps

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Phipps, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Phipps surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Phipps household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Phipps is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Phipps is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Phipps falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Phipps is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Phipps, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Phipps

The surname Phipps originated in England and is believed to have derived from the Old English personal name Philip, which itself comes from the Greek name Philippos, meaning "lover of horses." The Phipps name emerged as an English patronymic surname, indicating "son of Philip."

The earliest recorded instances of the Phipps surname date back to the 13th century, with references found in various medieval records and documents. One notable mention is in the Hundredorum Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1273, which lists a William Philippes.

During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, including Philippes, Philippes, and Phylyppes, reflecting the different regional pronunciations and spelling conventions of the time. Some early records also indicate variations like Phippen and Phippson.

The name Phipps has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the 16th century, Sir Thomas Phipps (c. 1520-1583) was a prominent English politician and Member of Parliament. Another early bearer of the name was Sir Constantine Phipps (c. 1567-1619), an English Lord Mayor of London.

In the 18th century, Constantine John Phipps (1744-1792) was a notable British naval officer and explorer, best known for his unsuccessful attempt to find a Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He was later appointed the first Baron Mulgrave in recognition of his achievements.

Another significant figure was Sir William Phipps (1651-1695), a colonial American from Massachusetts who is remembered for his successful expedition to recover sunken Spanish treasure from a shipwreck off the coast of Florida.

In the 19th century, Sir Constantine Henry Phipps (1797-1863) was a British naval officer and politician who served as the First Lord of the Admiralty. Additionally, Henry Phipps (1839-1930) was an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Carnegie Steel Company with Andrew Carnegie.

While the Phipps surname is primarily associated with England and its colonial offshoots, it has also been documented in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and dispersal over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Phipps families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Phipps surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 561 Phipps' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.30x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 561 1.30x
Gloucestershire 560 6.61x
Warwickshire 333 3.05x
Oxfordshire 317 11.88x
Surrey 297 1.41x
Kent 295 2.00x
Staffordshire 238 1.63x
Worcestershire 202 3.58x
Leicestershire 196 4.09x
Hertfordshire 129 4.33x
Lancashire 120 0.23x
Northamptonshire 109 2.68x
Yorkshire 91 0.21x
Nottinghamshire 87 1.49x
Berkshire 86 2.65x
Sussex 85 1.17x
Derbyshire 81 1.20x
Somerset 71 1.02x
Cheshire 66 0.69x
Herefordshire 66 3.72x
Shropshire 52 1.39x
Essex 48 0.56x
Devon 39 0.43x
Glamorgan 39 0.52x
Buckinghamshire 38 1.45x
Monmouthshire 31 0.99x
Hampshire 26 0.29x
Northumberland 24 0.37x
Bedfordshire 23 1.03x
Cambridgeshire 17 0.62x
Durham 16 0.12x
Midlothian 15 0.26x
Wiltshire 14 0.37x
Suffolk 11 0.21x
Brecknockshire 10 1.16x
Norfolk 9 0.14x
Lincolnshire 7 0.10x
Huntingdonshire 6 0.70x
Pembrokeshire 6 0.44x
Dorset 3 0.11x
Lanarkshire 2 0.01x
Royal Navy 2 0.39x
Anglesey 1 0.13x
Cornwall 1 0.02x
Perthshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 116 Phipps' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.19x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 116 3.19x
West Dean 74 53.74x
Aston 68 2.27x
Harborne 50 10.69x
Bristol St George 49 12.50x
Bethnal Green London 47 2.50x
Lambeth 47 1.25x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 46 5.76x
Whetstone 41 233.62x
Islington London 40 0.95x
Nottingham St Mary 40 2.65x
Paddington London 37 2.33x
St Pancras London 37 1.06x
Kidderminster Borough 33 9.99x
West Bromwich 33 3.95x
Leicester St Margaret 32 2.74x
Bitton Oldland 31 35.77x
Wandsworth 31 7.45x
Hook Norton 29 158.73x
Cheltenham 28 4.28x
Tottenham 28 4.07x
Cheshunt 25 24.00x
Hammersmith London 25 2.35x
Maidstone 25 5.69x
Abingdon St Helen 24 25.30x
Newington 24 1.50x
Iden 23 279.13x
St Marylebone London 23 1.00x
Bermondsey 21 1.63x
Camberwell 21 0.76x
Kensington London 21 0.87x
Penge 21 7.61x
Bromley London 20 2.10x
Edgbaston 20 5.92x
Oxford St Clement 20 29.69x
Sittingbourne 20 17.17x
Walsall Foreign 20 2.65x
Broxbourne 19 32.18x
Hampstead London 19 2.82x
Littlemore 19 257.45x
Minchinhampton 19 28.13x
Newland 19 26.67x
Oldbury 19 6.84x
Oxford St Ebbe 19 24.18x
Plymouth St Andrew 19 2.74x
Wells St Cuthbert 19 40.02x
Wimbledon 19 8.03x
Wootton 19 347.99x
Aylestone 18 47.63x
Chatham 18 4.44x
Dudley 18 2.62x
Stroud 18 10.91x
Bedminster 17 2.60x
Streatham 17 5.30x
Wednesbury 17 4.66x
Wormley 17 156.11x
Bristol St James St Paul 16 5.66x
Edmonton 16 4.59x
Iffley 16 71.05x
Mile End Old Town 16 2.35x
Poplar London 16 1.96x
Rowley Regis 16 3.94x
St Luke London 16 2.31x
Borden 15 80.26x
Thornbury 15 25.88x
Bow London 14 2.54x
Claylane 14 14.88x
Ilkeston 14 7.38x
Leicester St Mary 14 3.62x
Mitcham 14 10.52x
Stoke 14 14.09x
Walcot 14 3.78x
Carlton 13 19.55x
Deptford St Paul 13 1.14x
Ealing 13 3.37x
Oxford St Mary Magdalen 13 41.07x
Southwark St George Martyr 13 1.49x
Todmorden Walsden 13 9.46x
Walton On The Wolds 13 386.90x
Clerkenwell London 12 1.18x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Phipps surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 275
Elizabeth 163
Sarah 161
Ann 93
Emma 88
Ellen 82
Annie 79
Eliza 77
Alice 71
Emily 71
Jane 57
Florence 43
Hannah 38
Martha 36
Caroline 33
Ada 31
Charlotte 29
Harriet 29
Fanny 28
Kate 28
Maria 27
Catherine 26
Harriett 25
Louisa 24
Clara 22
Rose 21
Edith 20
Esther 18
Lucy 18
Matilda 18
Agnes 17
Anne 17
Frances 16
Minnie 14
Susan 14
Susannah 14
Sophia 13
Julia 12
Lydia 11
Margaret 11
Rebecca 11
Rosa 10
Amelia 9
Eleanor 8
Gertrude 8
Jessie 8
Lizzie 8
Selina 8
Beatrice 7
Isabella 7

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Phipps surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 267
John 212
George 172
Thomas 157
Charles 106
Henry 106
James 100
Joseph 90
Alfred 57
Edward 50
Frederick 46
Robert 44
Richard 41
Samuel 40
Albert 39
Arthur 35
Walter 31
Harry 29
Edwin 28
David 24
Frank 17
Francis 16
Benjamin 15
Ernest 15
Herbert 12
Wm. 12
Daniel 10
Percy 9
Thos. 9
Fredk. 7
Sidney 7
Edmund 6
Fred 6
Aaron 5
Amos 5
Harold 5
Isaac 5
Leonard 5
Stephen 5
Augustus 4
Christopher 4
Edgar 4
Geo. 4
Job 4
Michael 4
Robt. 4
Tom 4
Willm. 4
Fredrick 3
Saml. 3

FAQ

Phipps surname: questions and answers

How common was the Phipps surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,439 people were recorded with the Phipps surname. That placed it at #1,012 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Phipps surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,525 in 2016. That gives Phipps a modern rank of #1,036.

What does the Phipps surname mean?

Derived from the Old English personal name "Phip", which is a short form of "Philip", meaning "lover of horses".

What does the Phipps map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Phipps bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.