How popular is the baby name Philippe in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Philippe.

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Popularity of the baby name Philippe


Posts that mention the name Philippe

Popular and unique baby names in Quebec (Canada), 2023

Flag of Quebec
Flag of Quebec

Of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada, Quebec is the second-largest in terms of both population (after Ontario) and area (after Nunavut).

Last year, Quebec welcomed close to 78,000 babies. What were the most popular names among these babies? Alice/Florence (tied) and Noah.

Here are Quebec’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Alice, 465 baby girls (tie)
  2. Florence, 465 (tie)
  3. Emma, 456
  4. Olivia, 430
  5. Charlie, 415
  6. Charlotte, 405
  7. Livia, 359
  8. Lea, 326
  9. Beatrice, 300 (tie)
  10. Juliette, 300 (tie)
  11. Clara, 296
  12. Mila, 295
  13. Romy, 294 (tie)
  14. Sofia, 294 (tie)
  15. Rose, 291
  16. Zoe, 280
  17. Mia, 253
  18. Eva, 222
  19. Rosalie, 211
  20. Chloe, 208
  21. Leonie, 200
  22. Victoria, 189
  23. Flavie, 188 (tie)
  24. Julia, 188 (tie)
  25. Jade, 183
  26. Adele, 180 (tie)
  27. Elena, 180 (tie)
  28. Maeva, 177
  29. Billie, 175
  30. Amelia, 159 (tie)
  31. Jeanne, 159 (tie)
  32. Raphaelle, 158
  33. Ophelie, 145
  34. Sophia, 144
  35. Margot, 142
  36. Eleonore, 140
  37. Sophie, 133
  38. Elizabeth, 132
  39. Clemence, 127
  40. Ellie, 124 (tie)
  41. Flora, 124 (tie)
  42. Camille, 123 (3-way tie)
  43. Laura, 123 (3-way tie)
  44. Maya, 123 (3-way tie)
  45. Lily, 121
  46. Simone, 119
  47. Jasmine, 115
  48. Mathilde, 109
  49. Sarah, 105
  50. Anna, 104

Boy names

  1. Noah, 613 baby boys
  2. Liam, 556
  3. Leo, 549
  4. Thomas, 535
  5. William, 520
  6. Edouard, 495
  7. Jacob, 468
  8. Louis, 427
  9. Nathan, 400
  10. Arthur, 398
  11. Emile, 378
  12. Charles, 369
  13. Theo, 357
  14. Jules, 346
  15. Arnaud, 329
  16. James, 320
  17. Adam, 318
  18. Logan, 310
  19. Raphael, 299
  20. Felix, 293
  21. Theodore, 273
  22. Laurent, 272
  23. Lucas, 266
  24. Victor, 259
  25. Elliot, 258
  26. Eloi, 254
  27. Henri, 251
  28. Benjamin, 245
  29. Jackson, 233
  30. Gabriel, 218 (tie)
  31. Milan, 218 (tie)
  32. Olivier, 207
  33. Nolan, 201
  34. Samuel, 194
  35. Matheo, 189
  36. Eli, 188 (tie)
  37. Ethan, 188 (tie)
  38. Jayden, 180
  39. Antoine, 175
  40. Alexis, 172
  41. Leonard, 149
  42. Matteo, 147
  43. Jake, 146
  44. Robin, 143
  45. Zack, 135
  46. Tristan, 132
  47. Luca, 128 (tie)
  48. Mayson, 128 (tie)
  49. Axel, 127
  50. Malik, 126

The girls’ top 100 included Romane (52nd), Lily-Rose (72nd), Yasmine (78th), and Lyvia (89th).

The boys’ top 100 included Hubert (58th), Eliott (64th), Romeo (78th), and Philippe (85th).

And what about the names at the other end of the spectrum? Here’s a selection of the baby names that were bestowed just once in Quebec last year:

Unique girl namesUnique boy names
Ateret, Balkissa, Clovia, Dunnia, Elisapee, Fauve, Genia, Hestelle, Inuluk, Japnaaz, Kaudjak, Luluthia, Miskomin, Namu, Orzala, Pimprenelle, Pulammaq, Qiana, Rydia, Subby, Tanilla, Ulluriaq, Ummaluk, Valerina, Wilsie, Xiran, Yoldez, ZivahAuklin, Benno, Clavis, Deepak, Endri, Ferruccio, Galvany, Heston, Inukpak, Jassir, Keslin, Latevi, Melrick, Naullaq, Nipin, Orphe, Puulik, Rayler, Sorance, Tsalel, Tukalak, Uasheshkuan, Vladan, Wistaron, Xincheng, Yuutin, Zuryel

Some definitions/associations for a few of the above:

  • Ateret means “crown” in Hebrew.
  • Fauve is French for “tawny” and, by extension, can refer to a big cat (such as a lion).
  • Inukpak means “giant” in Inuktitut.
  • Miskomin means “raspberry” in Ojibwe.
  • Naullaq is based on the Inuktitut word naulaq, which refers to a harpoon head.
  • Nipin means “summer” in Cree.
  • Pimprenelle is French for “burnet,” which refers to herbs of the genus Sanguisorba.
  • Pulammaq means “root” in Inuktitut.
  • Uasheshkuan means “the sky is clear, cloudless” in Innu.
  • Ulliriaq means “star” in Inuktitut.
  • Yuutin means “it is windy” in East Cree.

I also spotted a single girl named Chaya Mushka, and two other babies — one girl and one boy — named Mispun, meaning “it is snowing” in East Cree.

Finally, here’s a link to Quebec’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to compare.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of Quebec (public domain)

Baby names with PH: Phoenix, Ophelia, Joseph

pheasant

Looking for baby names that feature the appealing letter-pair PH?

I’ve collected hundreds of options for you in this post!

Before we get to the names, though, let’s get one big question out of the way…

Why does PH sound like “F”?

In English, PH is a digraph, which means that it’s a pair of letters that make a single sound. (It’s interesting that the word “digraph” contains a digraph, isn’t it?)

Most of the English words that have PH were derived from Greek — specifically, from Greek words that included the Greek letter phi:

Greek letter phi (uppercase)
Phi (uppercase)

In ancient times, the Greek letter phi made an aspirated p-sound. (The unaspirated p-sound, on the other hand, was made by the Greek letter pi.)

When Greek was transliterated into Latin, the letter phi was written as “ph” to denote this aspiration — that is, to signal that the letter “p” was accompanied by a brief puff of air.

So, what happened?

In the first several centuries A.D., the pronunciation of the Greek letter phi changed. It slowly evolved from an aspirated p-sound into an f-sound.

As a result, the letter-pair “ph” underwent a corresponding (though somewhat illogical) pronunciation change. It, too, came to represent an f-sound — and still does to this day.

Now, on to the names!

Names with PH

Below you’ll find a long list of names that contain the letter-pair PH. Many of these names come directly from the U.S. SSA’s baby name data. Others are ancient names that aren’t used much (if at all) in modern times.

  • Aleph
  • Alpha
  • Alphaeus
  • Alpharetta
  • Alphie
  • Alphonsa
  • Alphonse
  • Alphonsine
  • Alphonso
  • Alphonsus
  • Amphion
  • Amphirho
  • Amphithea
  • Aphaea
  • Aphra
    • Seventeenth-century writer Aphra Behn was one of the first English women to earn her living by writing.
  • Aphrodite
  • Apphia
  • Asaph
  • Caliph
  • Cephas, Cephus
  • Christoph, Christophe
  • Christopher, Kristopher
  • Christophine
  • Cleopha
  • Cléophée
  • Cleophas, Cleophus
  • Cypher
  • Daphna
  • Daphne, Daphnie, Daphney, Daphni, Daphnee
  • Delpha
  • Delphi
  • Delphia
  • Delphin
  • Delphina
  • Delphine
  • Delphinus
  • Demophon
  • Dolph
  • Dolphus
  • Dymphna
  • Elaphia
  • Eliphalet, Eliphelet
  • Eliphas, Eliphaz
  • Elpha
  • Ephesius
  • Ephraim
  • Ephram
  • Ephratah
  • Ephrem
  • Epiphanius
  • Epiphany
  • Eugraphia
  • Eugraphius
  • Euphemia
  • Euphemius
  • Euphoria
  • Euphranor
  • Euphrasia
  • Euphrasie
  • Euphrasius
  • Glaphyra
  • Gryphon
  • Hephaestus
  • Hephzibah
  • Humphrey
  • Ildephonse
  • Iphigenia
  • Iphis
  • Japheth, Japhet, Yaphet
  • Jehoshaphat
  • Jephthah ,Jephtha
  • Josaphat
  • Joseph, Ioseph
  • Josepha
  • Josephina
  • Josephine
  • Josephus
  • Memphis
  • Morpheus
  • Murphy, Murphie, Murphee, Murphey
  • Mustapha, Moustapha
  • Naphtali, Nephtali
  • Nephele
  • Nephi
  • Nephthys
  • Nicéphore
  • Onuphrius
  • Ophelia
  • Ophélie
  • Ophir
  • Ophira
  • Ophrah
  • Orpha
  • Orpheus
  • Orphia
  • Pamphilus
  • Persephone, Persephonie, Persephony
  • Phaedra
  • Phaedrus
  • Phaenna
  • Phanuel
  • Pharaildis
  • Pharamond
  • Pharaoh
  • Pharez
  • Pharrell
  • Phelan
  • Phelim
  • Philbert, Philibert
  • Phileas
  • Philemon
  • Philetus
  • Philia
  • Philinda
  • Philina, Philena
  • Philine, Philene
  • Philip, Phillip, Philipp
  • Philippa, Phillipa
  • Philippe
  • Philo
  • Philomel
  • Philomela
  • Philomena
  • Philon
  • Philopateer, Philopater
  • Philotera
  • Phineas, Phinehas
  • Phoebe, Phebe
  • Phoenicia
  • Phoenix
  • Photina
  • Photine
  • Photius
  • Phronsie
  • Phryne
  • Phylicia
  • Phyllida
  • Phyllis, Phillis
  • Porphyrius
  • Prophet
  • Ralph
  • Ralphie
  • Ralphine
  • Randolph
  • Rapha
  • Raphael
  • Raphaela
  • Raphaëlle
  • Rodolph
  • Rolph
  • Rudolph
  • Saphina
  • Saphira, Sapphira, Saphyra
  • Sapphire
  • Sephira
  • Sephiroth
  • Sephora
  • Seraph
  • Seraphia
  • Seraphim
  • Seraphin
  • Seraphina, Saraphina
  • Seraphine
  • Shiphrah
  • Sophia, Sophya
  • Sophie, Sophi, Sophee
  • Sophilia
  • Sophina
  • Sophonie
  • Sophonisba
  • Sophron
  • Sophronia
  • Sophronius
  • Sophus
  • Stephania
  • Stephanie, Stephany, Stephani
  • Sylphrena
  • Sypha
  • Symphony
  • Télesphore
  • Theophanes
  • Theophania
  • Theophila
  • Theophilia
  • Theophilus
  • Triumph
  • Tryphena
  • Tryphon
  • Tryphosa
  • Xenophon
  • Zelpha
  • Zephan
  • Zephaniah
  • Zephyr
  • Zephyra
  • Zephyria
  • Zéphyrine
  • Zephyrus
  • Zilpha
  • Zilphia

Which of the PH names above to do you like most? Let me know in the comments!

Sources: Phee-phi-pho-phum – The Grammarphobia Blog, SSA

Image: Adapted from Fasan3 by Ragnhild & Neil Crawford under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Baby named Twifia, family gets free internet

"18 years free internet" (Twifi's baby name offer)

A baby girl born in Graubünden, Switzerland, in either late September or early October was given the second middle name Twifia.

Why?

Because Swiss internet provider Twifi was offering 18 years of free internet to any family willing to name their baby either Twifia (if a girl) or Twifius (if a boy).

The parents wish to remain anonymous, and have not revealed the baby’s first two given names.

But the father was quoted as saying, “The longer I thought about it, the more unique the name became for me, and that was when the thing got its charm.”

And what if the company — which was launched in August, and has just four employees — goes belly-up before the baby turns 18? Twifi CEO Philippe Fotsch promised he would continue to pay for the family’s internet personally. “It’s a matter of honor.”

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of Twifi’s “18 years free internet” page

Phillippi, Phillippee, Philippy, Phillipie…

I was really intrigued by the female names Phillippi, Phillipie, Philippe, etc., that kept appearing in those early Boston records. I found 17 females with a name based on Philip, and 16 of those 17 were listed as “Phillippi” or something similar at least once. Here are all 17, plus every entry I found for each:

1. Phillipee White (née Wood), 3 entries:

  • married in 1653 (listed as “Phillip”)
  • gave birth in 1654 (listed as “Phillips”)
  • died in 1654 (listed as “Phillipee”)

2. Philipa Ockonell (née King), 1 entry:

  • married in 1662 (listed as “Philipa”)

3. Phillippee Cann, 2 entries:

  • gave birth to twin #1 in 1663 (listed as “Phillippee”)
  • gave birth to twin #2 in 1663 (listed as “Phillippee”)

4. Philippee Snell, 3 entries:

  • gave birth in 1659 (listed as “Philip”)
  • gave birth in 1661 (listed as “Phillip”)
  • gave birth in 1663 (listed as “Philippee”)

5. Phillippe Snell (daughter of #4), 1 entry:

  • died in 1663 (listed as “Phillippe”)

6. Philippe Cunnell, 2 entries:

  • gave birth in 1667 (listed as “Philippe”)
  • gave birth in 1670 (listed as “Philippe”)

7. Philippa Phillips (this is her married name believe it or not!), 8 entries:

  • gave birth in 1665 (listed as “Philippa”)
  • gave birth in 1667 (listed as “Philippa”)
  • gave birth in 1669 (listed as “Philippa”)
  • gave birth to twin #1 in 1671 (listed as “Phillippe”)
  • gave birth to twin #2 in 1671 (listed as “Phillippe”)
  • gave birth in 1672 (listed as “Philippa”)
  • gave birth in 1674 (listed as “Phillipa”)
  • died in 1679 (listed as “Philippy”)

8. Phillippi Samis, 1 entry:

  • died in 1689 (listed as “Phillippi”)

9. Phillippi Arnall, 3 entries:

  • gave birth in 1691 (listed as “Phillippi”)
  • gave birth in 1694 (listed as “Phillis”)
  • gave birth in 1695 (listed as “Phillis”)

10. Phillipie Carter (née White), 2 entries:

  • married in 1699 (listed as “Pilippe”)
  • gave birth in 1700 (listed as “Phillipie”)

11. Phillipi Lablond, 1 entry:

  • gave birth in 1704 (listed as “Phillipi”)

12. Philippi Greenwood, 1 entry:

  • gave birth in 1711 (listed as “Philippi”)

13. Phillippi Trench, 4 entries:

  • gave birth in 1716 (listed as “Phillipee”)
  • gave birth in 1719 (listed as “Phillippi”)
  • gave birth in 1720 (listed as “Phillippi”)
  • gave birth in 1724 (listed as “Philippe”)

14. Philippe Trench (daughter of #13), 1 entry:

  • born in 1724 (listed as “Philippe”)

15. Philippe Snelling, 2 entries:

  • gave birth in 1731 (listed as “Phillippe”)
  • gave birth in 1732 (listed as “Philippe”)

16. Philippe Snelling (daughter of #15), 1 entry:

  • born in 1731 (listed as “Philippe”)

17. Philippe Snelling (also daughter of #15), 1 entry:

  • born in 1732 (listed as “Philippe”)

Nowadays the preferred feminine form of Philip is Philippa, but Philippa clearly wasn’t being used very often in Boston during the 1600s and early 1700s. Here’s what A Dictionary of First Names has to say about Philippa:

In England during the Middle Ages the vernacular name Philip was borne by women as well as men, but female bearers were distinguished in Latin records by this form. It was not, however, used as a regular given name until the 19th century.

I’m left to conclude that, in Boston during this pre-Philippa era, the trendiest way to feminize Philip was by adding a ‘long E’ sound.

I wonder now if this ending was chosen intentionally to mirror the ‘long E’ endings of other female names with ancient Greek origins, like Phoebe and Chloe. Then again maybe it was simply the most natural way to feminize Philip, given that “-ie” and “-y” are such common diminutive suffixes in English.

Sources: