Spanish3 syllablesName day 5 February
Meaning: lover of horses; friend to horses.
Felipe
| Origin | Spanish form of Philip, from the Greek Philippos by way of Latin Philippus |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Greek philos (loving, dear) + hippos (horse) — a Macedonian aristocrat's name, since horses meant cavalry and cavalry meant rank |
| Pronunciation | feh-LEE-peh in Spanish; English speakers usually land on fuh-LEE-pay |
| Popularity | Outside the current U.S. top 100; ordinary in Mexico, and just as common in Brazil and Spain |
| Variants | Philip, Filipe (Portuguese), Philippe, Filippo, Filip, Felipe |
| Nicknames | Pipe, Feli, Felipillo; Lipe in Brazil |
| Name day | 5 February, San Felipe de Jesús, patron of Mexico City |
History & meaning
Philippos was a Macedonian court name before it was anything else, and it meant exactly what it looks like: philos plus hippos, one who loves horses. Philip II of Macedon, who built the army his son Alexander inherited, put it into wide circulation, and a New Testament apostle carried it into the Christian west. Latin wrote it Philippus; Spanish did what Spanish does to Greek consonant clusters, flattening the ph to f and softening the double p, and got Felipe.
The name arrived in the Americas attached to a king. Felipe II ruled Spain at the height of its empire, gave his name to the Philippines and governed New Spain from a desk in Madrid. But the reason Felipe reads as Mexican rather than merely Spanish is a different man entirely. Felipe de Jesús was born in Mexico City around 1572, drifted, joined the Franciscans, and was crucified with twenty-five others at Nagasaki in 1597. Canonised in 1862, he became the first saint born in Mexico and the patron of its capital, and his 5 February feast is still marked there.
Why parents choose it
Felipe survives English better than most Spanish names — it does not get respelled, and it does not collapse into Phil. It has a warm, unhurried sound that suits a small child and does not become undignified on an adult, and it comes with Pipe, the nickname Mexican and Colombian families reach for, which no English speaker will guess and every Spanish speaker will recognise.
Middle names for Felipe
The three even syllables want a second name with a different shape: Felipe Andrés, Felipe Santiago, Felipe Alejandro, Felipe Ignacio. See the middle names guide for how to test the join against your surname.
Famous Felipes
Felipe Ángeles was the best-trained artillery officer of the Mexican Revolution and Pancho Villa's tactician until his execution in 1919; Mexico's newest airport carries his name. Felipe Calderón served as president of Mexico from 2006 to 2012. In Europe the name currently belongs to Felipe VI, king of Spain since 2014.
Consider instead
Philip is the English original, quieter and more clerical. Felix shares the first syllable and has a meaning you can actually promise a child — lucky. Santiago keeps the apostolic register and is rising fast in the United States.