Submitted Name Revision History

Originally a short form of a Greek name beginning with the element φίλος (philos) meaning "lover, friend". This was the name of an early Christian saint, a 3rd-century bishop of the Egyptian city of Thmuis. This name has been in rare use in the English-speaking world from as early as the late 17th century, used primarily by Catholics in honour of the saint. Jules Verne used it for the protagonist (Phileas Fogg, an Englishman) in his novel Around the World in 80 Days (1873).