Given name & surname · also Late Greek
Philo
“one who loves and is loved”
Philo is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “one who loves and is loved.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “one who loves and is loved.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
The story
The name’s historical associations include a 2nd-century saint, a deacon of St Ignatius.
Philo through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 390
- 390 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 13 babies
- 2025
- 6
- #11,663 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −18%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 6 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 11,663 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 18.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 339 as a first name in 2020; 876 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Philo’s family of names
Philo has a feminine form in Phile. In English usage, Philo has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form FILON.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Philo
- Philo FarnsworthAmerican inventor (1906–1971)
- Philo IkonyaKenyan writer and journalist, human rights activistborn 1959
- Philo McCulloughAmerican film actor (1893-1981)
- Philo RemingtonAmerican businessman (1816–1889)
- Philo HallAmerican politician (1865-1938)
- Philo C. FullerAmerican politician1787–1855
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Philo, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Rasmus
“one who is dearly loved”
>99% boys
Ambrose
“immortal, divine”
98% boys · 2% girls
Sebastian
“man from Sebasta” · “the revered one”
>99% boys
Miron
“refers to myrrh, a fragrant oil”
>99% boys
Txomin
“a godly man”
>99% boys
Nicanor
“a conqueror” · “of the victorious army”
>99% boys
Otmar
“treasure” · “famous”
>99% boys
Saint-Girons
Saint-Girons is a surname from Occitan. It is used in French.
—