Pippa
Diminutive of Philippa, a feminine name derived from the Greek meaning "lover of horses".
Name Census estimates that about 1,563 living Americans carry the first name Pippa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Pippa today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pippa births was 2014 (120 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pippa. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Pippa is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 13 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.6K
~ 1 in 219,293 Americans
Peak year
2014
120 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,475
Tracked since 1957
Popularity
Pippa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pippa from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 906 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Pippa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pippa by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Pippa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pippas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 24 states and territories. California, Texas, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Pippa, while New Jersey, Missouri, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Pippa
The name Pippa is a diminutive form of the name Philippa, which is derived from the Greek name Philipp??. Philipp?? is the feminine form of the masculine name Philippos, which means "lover of horses" or "friend of horses". The name Philippos comes from the Greek words philos, meaning "beloved" or "loving", and hippos, meaning "horse".
The name Philippa was first introduced to England after the Norman Conquest in 1066, brought by the Norman nobles who had adopted it from the French form Philippine. It quickly gained popularity among the aristocracy and royalty of medieval England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pippa dates back to the 13th century, when it was used as a diminutive for Philippa. In the historical records of the time, there are references to a woman named Pippa de Beaumont, who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Pippa. One of the most famous is Pippa Middleton (born 1983), the younger sister of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Another well-known Pippa is Pippa Guard (born 1958), an English model and actress.
In the realm of literature, Pippa is the name of a character in Robert Browning's dramatic poem "Pippa Passes" (1841). The poem follows a young silk-winder named Pippa as she passes through the streets of Asolo, Italy, on her way to work.
Another historical figure named Pippa was Pippa Bacca (1974-2008), an Italian performance artist and activist. She gained international recognition for her participation in the "Brides on Tour" project, which aimed to raise awareness about the rights of women and minorities.
Finally, in the world of sports, Pippa Mann (born 1983) is a British racing driver who has competed in the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Pippa throughout history, showcasing the enduring appeal and versatility of this diminutive form of Philippa.
People
Pippa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pippa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Pippa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pippa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,563 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pippa going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 219,293 US residents.
Is Pippa a common name?
We classify Pippa as "Rare". It ranks above 92.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,594 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pippa most popular?
The single biggest year for Pippa was 2014, when 120 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pippa is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pippa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pippa in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.