This is a patronymic "the son of philip" from the diminutive Philipa - abreviated to Philpot. The name comes from the Greek Philippos meaning to love (philein) horses (hippos). The Latinized form Philipus appears in the Gilbertine Houses Records of Lincolnshire in Circa 1150. A Henry Philip is recorded in the 1275 Hundred Rolls of Norfolk. The pet forms Phielipot and Philipot appear in the thirteen hundreds. The spelling Philpot is recorded in the "Calendar of Letter Books of the city of London" (1378). In 1583 one, John Phillpott married a Judith Thompson (London Marriage Licence Records). In the modern idiom the name has at least ten spelling variations including:- Phillpott, Philipot, Philpots etc..The Coat of Arms most associated with the family and granted to Philpot, Lord Mayor of London in 1378 and has the ancient arms with the blazon of a black shield thereon a bend ermine. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Philipot. which was dated 1327, - The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex. during the reign of King Edward 111, known as the Father of the Navy, 1327 - 1377. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.