| Philip | Elias | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Lover of horses | The Lord is my God |
| Origin | greek | Greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | FIL-ip | ee-LY-us |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1953 (6,279) | 2025 (8,837) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 8,837 |
| Trend | Vintage | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Philip | Elias |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 3,713 | 42,605 |
| 2010s | 7,216 | 40,925 |
| 2000s | 10,193 | 19,617 |
| 1990s | 20,460 | 8,856 |
| 1980s | 35,733 | 4,479 |
| 1970s | 31,367 | 2,962 |
| 1960s | 44,780 | 1,774 |
| 1950s | 60,853 | 1,547 |
| 1940s | 48,735 | 1,227 |
| 1930s | 28,847 | 1,355 |
| 1920s | 27,268 | 1,766 |
| 1910s | 18,166 | 1,144 |
| 1900s | 2,817 | 254 |
| 1890s | 2,147 | 302 |
| 1880s | 1,741 | 450 |
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.
Elias is the Greek and Latin form of Elijah, from the Hebrew for “my God is Yahweh.” It appears in the New Testament and is used across Europe.
Elias is more popular than Philip today: about 8,837 US babies were given the name Elias in 2025, compared with 0 named Philip.
Philip means Lover of horses (greek origin), while Elias means The Lord is my God (Greek origin).
In US records, Philip first appears in 0 and Elias in 1880, so Philip has the longer recorded history.