Philippa

I have the name Riley and I'm thinking of changing it to Philippa because Philippa isn't a freakishly common name

eliza

I think this name is gorgeous, and I know meaning isn't everything, but honestly... so odd.

For someone who has been brought up around horses, and will be raising my kids around horses, I think that this name is perfect. I love the nicknames and think that the actual name is beautiful, though it's not very elegant and I really love the elegance in a name.

That sucks. Not to disregard your feelings or perspective, but I think the name is very pretty. My daughter is named Philippa and everyone loves it and particularly the nickname 'Pippa.' Though, in the states it is very rare and unique and I think there is some novelty to it. I think you'll grow to love the name.

This is a beautiful, classy name, with the cute nicknames Pippa and Pip. I love it so much.

Such a beautiful name! This is in my top 5

Until recently, I'd never given this name and Philip a second thought. I dismissed them as "old-people names". But I've finally realized Philip is an awesome name (and fun to say), and thus I've also come to love Philippa. The nickname Pippa is so cute.

Why would Portuguese people be using the Spanish pronunciation?
Don't you mean the Portuguese pronunciation?

I'm French Canadian and the name is very close. Instead of FILL-ah-puh we say fill-ah-PAH or FEE-lah-pah. It's not very different, and still sounds pretty. Your pronunciation example must only be showing how Portugeuse people pronounce it. (I also wonder where you live where the 2 groups of people speaking both these languages coincide. Do you reside in a "little Portugual" area of Montreal? That would be the only place I can think of). In any case, Philippa is a beautiful name in both English accents and in the French Canadian accent.

I absolutely agree with you. It's lovely. Plus soo many names have a girl and a boy variant.
Also less obvious (maybe it's just less obvious to me because the girl name is the more popular form...?) names like Cassia & Cassius, Fabian & Faviola, Sven & Svenja, Louisa & Louis...

A lovely, regal name with a rich history.

This is one of the cases where I much prefer the nickname options to the name itself

This is such an underrated and simply gorgeous name! Love it!

Okay so i'm a 15 year old girl called Philippa who lives in the Midlands in England and i really do not like my name, Ever since i have been 3/4 everyone has called me Pip because i don't like the name but i still don't like that because as a girl i wanted a pretty name.. It's also a name you can get teased for as it is a feminine version of the name Philip and also i hate Pippa too, it just doesn't suit me. I would've liked to have had my middle name as my first Lucy. And this tends to make it worse when you get called Philippa Lucy. But if you like it then name your child it. I am proud of the name either way because i am so far the only philippa i have ever known. And for that i like it. Honestly i have a family with lovely names like Stephanie marie and Jonathan james charles but mine lacks short. i hope this helps.
i love the names matilda, bonnie, jessica, talula and arora for girls and ted/teddy, bernie/bertie, finlay, rufus and diego. :) 03 jan 2016

My name is Filipa and I love it.

I love this name so much. I don't know why. I think I first learned it from a book character. Philippa (I prefer this version to Phillipa) seems to me a completely different name from Phillip, which I don't like. I don't really like the nickname, Pippa, though.

I'm genuinely sorry about that comment. Back then, I was brand new to Nameberry and was just agreeing with what anyone said because I thought it made me look cool. I was an idiot. I was 14 then, I'm 16 now, and know better then to write things that I don't really mean.

I agree .Philippa is a strong name but Pippa is just a bit twee and frilly. The two dont connect.

I have a big interest in Queen Philippa of Hainault whose descendants were the 'cause' of the War of the Roses

I totally agree Birdie.

The A wasnt added to Philippa to make it 'socially accepted'. It isnt a trend but a very old and Royal name . Queen Philippa of England goes back to the 14th century.

You could say exactly the same about the name Theodora /Teddy ...Philippa is a classic name . Historic and very Royal. Surely you have heard of Roberta, Erica, Georgia, Claudia, Antonia, Paula, Michaela, Edwina, Carla, Nigella, Alexa, Leona , Alana and the list goes on..

What is there NOT to understand ...see above.... erm FRANKIE? Would that be a male or female name as there is NO differentiation

What is there not to understand??? See above STUMP GIRL

What is there not to understand??? Its a classic name . Historic and very Royal. Also, havent you heard of Roberta, Erica, Georgia, Claudia, Antonia, Paula, Michaela, Edwina, Carla, Nigella, Alexa, Leona, Alana and the list goes on.......Names werent always gender specific. In order to define the sex an 'a' was added to many names to differentiate between male and female.......unlike today's trend of made up names with ridiculous spellings where you cant determine whether the owner is male, female, animal or mineral.

Philippa of Hainault, wife of Edward III of England, is noted for her success in getting Edward to spare the lives of the burghers of Calais when Edward had planned to execute them as an example after he besieged the city.

You said everything that I was going to. :)

I love this name, named my daughter Philippa. Our only problem is that we live around a lot of French Canadians and Portuguese people who use Spanish/French pronunciation Felleepe-ah when her name is Philip-pa. It's a very old name and more common in Europe.

I love the name Philippa. It is versatile (Pippa, Pip, Pippi) and transcends all sorts of social levels. Not sure why previous commenters find it difficult to say. It is common enough where I live for people here not to struggle.

I think this name looks nice, and I would probably just use a stepping stone to Pippa. It is a actually a middle name I like, because no one will have to try to pronounce it, and I can still have the nickname.

I adore the name Philippa and have for a very long time. I don't like the nickname or name Pippa, though.

To be honest when everyone was talking about Philippa during the royal wedding, I thought for the longest time that they were saying "flipper", and I kept thinking "oh that poor girl!".

Fun fact: Ficus benjamina is a tree! I tried looking it up on BtN, and didn't see anything other than male Benjaminas, and female Benjamine. Thanks for the info.

I don't think Theodora or Phlippa are feminized to make them "more acceptable". Philippa is seen the Middle Ages. I'd rather a Philippa than a female Philip.

Yeah, I was sort of joking and serious at the same time. I think personal experience just draws me toward feminizations. And Pippa is a cool nickname.

Same here. I always stumble over this one saying it aloud.

Benjamina is a name as well, pronounced BEN-juh-MEE'-nuh, or BEN-huh-MEE'-nuh in the Hispanic community. Arthura also sounds like a normal name if pronounced ar-THOO-ruh but I'm not sure if it gets any use.

I don't like feminizations as a general rule. That more than anything feels like the unnecessary division of names by gender. I'd rather give the original name to a person of any gender than add or remove letters to make it more socially acceptable.

Well Philippa and Theodora are actual names with history. Benjamina, Howarda, and Arthura are not. Xaviera is apparently pretty popular within latin communities according to Behind the Name.

True. Some names just aren't meant to be girl names. Do you know any one named Benjamina, Howarda, Arthura, or Xaviera?
Probably not. Although my real name is a feminine version of a boy name, so maybe I shouldn't speak.

I never really understood the praise for this name. I mean don't get me wrong, I LOVE Pippa but, this name just sounds like Philip trying too hard to be a girl name.