Where does “Phillips” come from?
Phillips is an English patronymic surname derived from Philip, which comes from Ancient Greek Φίλιππος, meaning "lover of horses," from φίλος meaning "loving" and an equine element.
Phillips (English): A Phillips screwdriver
Ancestry of “Phillips”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Phillip | — |
| 2 | English | Philip | — |
| 3 | Middle English | Philip | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | φίλιππος | fond of horses |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | φιλέω | I love, like, regard highly; I treat kindly,... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἀτέλεια | — |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ἀ- | The alpha privativum, used to make words that... |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | hə- | same; together |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sm̥- | one; with, together |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |
Words derived from “Phillips”