1,383 Global PHILP Family Members

PHILP Family History

This unusual surname is Scottish. It is one of the many versions of the Ancient Greek name "Phillipos," and is almost exclusively from the county of Fifeshire. First introduced into the British Isles by returning crusader soldiers from their expeditions to free the Holy Land in the 11th century, the name as Philip was borne by one of Christ's twelve apostles as well as by several of the early saints. However unusually, for a Christian name, although it means literally "horse lover," it was a warrior name, and owes its great popularity not to the early Christian church, but to the romantic stories and fables relating to Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great.