Last updated: March 2026

Character Name

Philip

Meaning — Philip is a masculine name derived from the Greek Philippos, composed of philein (to love) and hippos (horse) — meaning "lover of horses." It was the name of Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great, and one of Christ's twelve apostles. The name has been used across all European cultures since antiquity, including in Slavic countries.·Greek origin·Male·FIL-ip

Philip Philip's long history — from Macedonian kings to apostles to literary heroes — gives it a flexible, enduring quality. Characters named Philip are often depicted as strivers: men who see clearly what they want and pursue it with methodical determination, whether their goal is noble or merely ambitious.

Best genres for Philip

Historical FictionLiterary FictionAdventureContemporary Fiction

Famous characters named Philip

Philip Pirrip (Pip)

Great Expectations Charles Dickens

The young orphan narrator whose great expectations of wealth and gentility are built on a mysterious benefactor's charity in Dickens's masterwork of social ambition.


Variations & nicknames

PhilipPhillipFilipPhilippeFilippo

Pairs well with

Philip HarringtonPhilip AshfordPhilip WyndhamPhilip ThorntonPhilip PrescottPhilip Whitmore

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Related names


More Greek names

Alexis

Alexis is a Greek given name derived from the verb "alexein" meaning "to defend, to protect". It is related to the name Alexander and shares the same root. In ancient Greece, Alexis was primarily a masculine name, used by the 4th-century comic playwright Alexis of Thurii. In modern usage it has become gender-neutral, widely used as a feminine name in France, the United States, and English-speaking countries since the late 20th century.

Lenna

A short form or variant of Helena, Eleanor, or Magdalena — all ultimately from the Greek. Through Helena it connects to the Greek helenos ("bright one") or helios ("sun"); through Eleanor to the Occitan Alienor (possibly from the Arabic or from the Old Provençal ali-aenor, "the other Aenor"); through Magdalena to the place name Magdala, a town on the Sea of Galilee meaning "tower." Lenna may also be a Scandinavian name in its own right, a feminine form of Lenn or a variant of Lena.

Genesis

From the Greek Genesis, meaning "origin," "beginning," or "creation" — from gignesthai, "to be born" or "to come into being." Genesis is the title of the first book of the Bible, the book of beginnings, from the Hebrew Bereshit ("in the beginning"). As a feminine given name, Genesis has been used in the United States since the late 20th century, particularly in Hispanic-American communities, and carries strong associations with new starts and creative potential.

Helen

From the Ancient Greek Helenē, probably from helenos meaning "the bright one" or "the shining one," possibly connected to helios ("sun") or selene ("moon"). In Greek mythology Helen of Troy was the most beautiful woman in the world, whose abduction by Paris sparked the Trojan War. The name entered English through the Latin Elena and Helena, and has been in widespread use since the medieval period, sustained by both classical and Christian (Saint Helena) associations.

Damien

The French form of Damian, from the Greek Damianos, possibly derived from the Greek damazein, meaning "to tame" or "to subdue." Saint Damian was a 3rd-century Christian martyr, venerated alongside his twin brother Cosmas as patrons of physicians and surgeons. The French spelling Damien gained wide cultural currency in the English-speaking world partly through Father Damien de Veuster, the Belgian missionary who served lepers in Hawaii, and partly through horror fiction.

Tiffany

An English form of Theophania, from the Greek theos ("God") and phainein ("to appear" or "to show"), meaning "manifestation of God" or "Epiphany." The name was traditionally given to girls born on the Feast of Epiphany (January 6). It fell almost entirely out of use after the medieval period and was revived in the 20th century in America, becoming enormously popular in the 1980s, partly through cultural association with the luxury jeweller Tiffany & Co.


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