Philippa
About Philippa
Philippa is a prime example of a boy's name adapted for girls that was common as crumpets in Cornwall, but rarely heard stateside. That was before the advent of royal sister-in-law Philippa Middleton, who goes by the lively nickname Pippa.
Philippa has still never appeared in the Top 1000 in the US, quite an accomplishment for a classic name that's been around for centuries. It does, however, rank on England's as well as Nameberry's own internal lists.
Pippa doesn't rank in the US either, but is far more popular than Philippa in the rest of the English-speaking world. It ranks in the Top 100 in Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, and in the Top 200 in England and Scotland.
Philippa has been fashionable in England since the fourteenth century when King Edward married Philippa of Hainault. There have been several early Saint Philippas, and it was the name of the wife of Geoffrey Chaucer.
Novelist Philippa Gregory authored the bestselling historical novel The Other Boelyn Girl.
As of October 2026, Philippa ranked #2808 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #2016 in 1918, Nameberry popularity #548.
Editor's take: The name Philippa is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "lover of horses".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #2,708 | 65 | 36.4 |
| 2015 | #2,880 | 61 | 34.2 |
| 2016 | #2,473 | 74 | 41.8 |
| 2017 | #2,480 | 73 | 42.3 |
| 2018 | #2,605 | 67 | 39.4 |
| 2019 | #3,209 | 50 | 29.8 |
| 2020 | #2,811 | 59 | 36.5 |
| 2021 | #2,632 | 66 | 40.2 |
| 2022 | #2,442 | 75 | 45.7 |
| 2023 | #2,637 | 67 | 41.8 |
| 2024 | #2,641 | 66 | 40.7 |
| 2025 | #2,808 | 61 | 38 |
World rankings
Similar names
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Famous Philippas
- Philippa of Hainault
Queen consort of Edward III of England
- Philippa of England
Queen consort of Denmark, Sweden and Norway as wife of Eric of Pomerania
- Philippa of Lancaster
Queen consort of John I of Portugal
- Philippa Charlotte "Pippa" Middleton
socialite sister of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
- Philippa of Dreux
Dame de Coucy, Countess of Bar
- Philippa Duke Schuyler
American pianist
- Philippa "Pippa" Bennett
Warner, English actress
- Philippa Ann "Pippa" Guard
English actress
- Philippa "Pippa" Haywood
English actress
- Philippa Strum
American political scientist
- Philippa Gregory
British historical novelist
- Philippa Rachel "Pippa" Funnell
English Olympic equestrian
- Philippa Ruth Foot
English philosopher
- (Ann) Philippa Pearce
English children's novelist
- Philippa Boyens
New Zealand screenwriter
- Philippa "Pippa" Marrack
English biologist
- (Mary) Philippa Brazill
Australian nursing educator and administrator
- Philippa Tomson
English journalist and TV presenter
- Philippa Russell
English disability activist
- Philippa Roet Chaucer
wife of English poet Geoffrey Chaucer
- Philippa Marie Carolina Isabelle (b. 1988)
Princess of Hohenzollern, daughter of Prince Karl Friedrich
- Philippa Frances "Pippa" Bryan (b. 2010)
daughter of actress Emily Procter and Paul Bryan
- Philippa Soo
actor
Philippa in pop culture
- Philippa Fisher
book series by Liz Kessler and its main character
- Philippa "Phil" Gordon
character in L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series
- Dr. Philippa Horwood
character in "The Hole" and "After the Hole"
- Philippa Eilhart
character in the Witcher franchise
- Philippa Georgiou
character in the TV series Star Trek: Discovery
Variations & nicknames
- PippaItalian
- FelipaSpanish
- InaPolish
- FelipanFrench
- PhilippinePolish
- FilippaFrench
- FelepitaSpanish
- FilipaPolish
- FiliaFrench
- FilipinaPolish
- FillippaItalian
- PhilipaPolish
- InkaPolish
- FilippinaItalian
- PelipaZuni
More nicknames
- Pippa
- Phil
- Pip
- Flip