Pippa
About Pippa
Pippa, a peppy condensation of Philippa that turns it from serious to sprightly, has come into the public eye in a big way via the former Kate Middleton's sister.
Pippa can and is given as a name in its own right, and may also be short for names other than Philippa: Penelope, for instance, or Patricia, or the more out-of-the-box Philippine.
Heard far more in the UK (where it's currently in the Top 200) than the US, Pippa has been used on its own since the nineteenth century, popularized by Robert Browning's dramatic poem, Pippa Passes. A recent book and film was titled The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.
Expectant parents should be warned, however, that the word pippa or pipa has an unsavory slang meaning in several European languages, including Italian, Swedish, Polish, and Greek.
Pronounced PIP-uh.
As of October 2026, Pippa ranked #1864 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #1741 in 2014, Nameberry popularity #153.
Editor's take: The name Pippa is a girl's name of English, Italian origin meaning "lover of horses".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,741 | 120 | 67.2 |
| 2015 | #2,084 | 94 | 52.7 |
| 2016 | #1,983 | 101 | 57 |
| 2017 | #1,821 | 114 | 66 |
| 2018 | #2,042 | 96 | 56.4 |
| 2019 | #1,873 | 108 | 64.3 |
| 2020 | #2,028 | 92 | 56.9 |
| 2021 | #1,777 | 115 | 70.1 |
| 2022 | #1,936 | 103 | 62.8 |
| 2023 | #2,507 | 71 | 44.2 |
| 2024 | #2,475 | 73 | 45.1 |
| 2025 | #1,864 | 107 | 66.6 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Pippa.
- Lottie
- Bea
- Winnie
- Margo
- Edie
- Hattie
- Nell
- Etta
- Kit
- Nellie
- Effie
- Billie
- June
- Minni
- Frankie
- Camillia
- Greta
- Marnie
- Millie
- Ida
Pippa on lists
Famous Pippas
- Philippa Charlotte "Pippa" Middleton
sister of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
- Pippa Scott
American actress
- Philippa "Pippa" Bennett
Warner, English actress
- Philippa Rachel "Pippa" Funnell
English Olympic equestrian
- Pippa Mann
English racing driver
- Philippa Jill "Pippa" Olivier Harris
English film producer
- Pippa Black
Australian actress
- Philippa Ann "Pippa" Guard
English actress
- Pippa Nixon
English actress
- Philippa "Pippa" Haywood
English actress
- Pippa Steel
German actress
- Pippa Jody Grandison
Australian actress
- Phillipa "Pippa" Soo
American actress and singer
- Philippa Frances "Pippa" Bryan (b. 2010)
daughter of actress Emily Procter and Paul Bryan
- Pippa Jean Rollins (b. 2017)
daughter of American actress Lindsay Sloane
Pippa in pop culture
- Pippa
main character in Robert Browning's "Pippa Passes"
- "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
" by Rebecca Miller
- Philippa "Pippa" Saunders
character on "Home and Away"
- Pippa Cross
from Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray
- Pippa
Eve's daughter in the Eve series by Anna Carey
- Pippa Gillespie
character on TV's "Broadchurch"
- Pippa
character from book The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
- Pippa Ridley
character in 2004 film "Haven"
- Pippa Fitz-Amobi
the protagonist in Holly Jackson’s book series “Good Girl’s Guide to Murder”