| Damian | Philip | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | To tame, subdue | Lover of horses |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | DAY-mee-un | FIL-ip |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1912 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2013 (3,976) | 1953 (6,279) |
| In 2025 | 3,213 | 0 |
| Trend | Steady | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Damian | Philip |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 19,855 | 3,713 |
| 2010s | 35,284 | 7,216 |
| 2000s | 26,034 | 10,193 |
| 1990s | 12,688 | 20,460 |
| 1980s | 5,719 | 35,733 |
| 1970s | 7,282 | 31,367 |
| 1960s | 1,865 | 44,780 |
| 1950s | 700 | 60,853 |
| 1940s | 231 | 48,735 |
| 1930s | 126 | 28,847 |
| 1920s | 91 | 27,268 |
| 1910s | 45 | 18,166 |
| 1900s | 0 | 2,817 |
| 1890s | 0 | 2,147 |
| 1880s | 0 | 1,741 |
Damian comes from the Greek for “to tame” or “subdue.”
From the Greek Philippos, combining philos 'loving, dear, friend' with hippos 'horse' — literally 'lover of horses', not 'lover' in general. The phil- element genuinely means love/affection, but note the object is horses.
Damian is more popular than Philip today: about 3,213 US babies were given the name Damian in 2025, compared with 0 named Philip.
Damian means To tame, subdue (Greek origin), while Philip means Lover of horses (greek origin).
In US records, Damian first appears in 1912 and Philip in 0, so Philip has the longer recorded history.