girl's name
Pippa
PIP-a
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 9,964
Ireland
#120
2025 births
Pippa is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "lover of horses." It is a pet form of Philippa, the feminine of Philip, and is far more used in Britain than anywhere else.
- Pippa is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in England and Wales in 2018, when 470 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in England and Wales.
- Today about 1 in 1,514 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1996.
Pippa over time
Births per decade in England and Wales, 1990s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 113 |
| 2000s | 772 |
| 2010s | 3,559 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,250 |
What Pippa means
Pippa means horse-lover, inherited from Philip. The Greek elements are philos, loving, and hippos, horse — a name from a culture where horses signaled rank.
Where Pippa comes from
Pippa shortens Philippa, the feminine of Philip, from the Greek Philippos — philos, loving, and hippos, horse. Horse ownership marked the aristocracy in classical Greece, so the name signaled status. Philippa of Hainault, Edward III's queen from 1328, established it in England. Robert Browning's 1841 verse drama Pippa Passes gave the pet form literary standing and, incidentally, introduced a notorious error: Browning used a vulgar word he had encountered without knowing its meaning, having taken it for part of a nun's habit.
Pippa in use
Our data shows Pippa peaking in 2018 and still rising, at 141 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1996. Its 2014 climb follows Pippa Middleton's prominence at the 2011 royal wedding, which our year-by-year series dates precisely.
How popular is Pippa?
In 2025, Pippa was given to 348 babies in England and Wales, ranking #141 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Pippa is used
Figures for England and Wales withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Pippa
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Pippa also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Pippa over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Pippa
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Pippa in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Pippa
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Pippa — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Pippa
What does the name Pippa mean?
Pippa means "lover of horses," from the Greek philos, loving, and hippos, horse, by way of Philippa.
Is Pippa short for Philippa?
It began as one, and is now widely registered as a full name in Britain.
Why is Pippa mostly British?
Philippa has never taken hold in America, so its pet form has little presence there. Our data places Pippa at 141 in England and Wales.
How popular is the name Pippa?
In 2025, Pippa was given to 348 babies in England and Wales, ranking #141 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Is Pippa a girl's or a boy's name?
Pippa is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Pippa most popular?
Pippa peaked in 2018, when 470 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Pippa?
Pippa is usually shortened to Pip.
Is Pippa a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Pippa currently ranks #120 in England and Wales. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.