Philippa is a feminine given name meaning "lover of horses" or "horses' friend", from the Greek Philippos, which is derived from philein, meaning to love and hippos, meaning horse. The English masculine form is Philip, which was formerly the vernacular form for both sexes. The Latinate Philippa was used in official church records for women bearing the name in medieval times, but they were actually called Philip or the French Philippe. The name Philippa came into common use for women in the Anglosphere in the 1800s. Common alternative spellings include Filippa and Phillipa. Less common is Filipa. The name is commonly shortened to the nicknames Pippa, Pippy, Pippita, Pipka, Pippulina, and Pip.
Notable people with the name Philippa include:
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Pre-modern era
Philippa, 5th Countess of Ulster (1355–1382), English noblewoman and granddaughter of Edward III of England
Philippa, Countess of Toulouse (c. 1073–1118), suo jure Countess of Toulouse and Duchess of Aquitaine
Philippa of Antioch (1148–1178), Lady of Toron
Philippa of Armenia (1183 – before 1219), Empress consort of Nicaea
Philippa of Catania (died 1345), Sicilian woman of low birth who became an influential figure in the royal court of the Kingdom of Naples
Philippa of Champagne (1197–1250), Lady of Ramerupt and de Vénisy
Philippa of Coimbra (1437–1497), Portuguese noblewoman and nun
Philippa of England (1394–1430), daughter of Henry IV of England, Queen of Sweden, Denmark and Norway
Philippa of Guelders (1464–1547), Duchess consort of Lorraine
Philippa of Hainault (c. 1310/15–1369), queen consort of Edward III of England
Philippa of Lancaster (1360–1415), English princess, consort queen of Portugal
Philippa of Luxembourg (1252–1311), Countess consort of Holland, Zeeland, and Hainaut
Philippa Basset (died 1265), Countess of Warwick
Philippa Coningsby (died 1596), English aristocrat
Philippa de Beauchamp (1344–1386), Countess of Stafford
Philippa de Coucy (1367–1411), Countess of Oxford, Duchess of Ireland
Philippa de Mohun (c. 1367–1431), Duchess of York
Philippa de Roet (c. 1346 – c. 1387), wife of Geoffrey Chaucer
Philippa Flower (died 1619), one of the Witches of Belvoir who was executed by hanging for witchcraft
Philippa Mareri (died 1236), beatified foundress of the Catholic monastery of Franciscan Sisters of Saint Philippa Mareri, also known as Poor Clares
Philippa Mortimer (1375–1400), English noblewoman and great-granddaughter of Edward III of England
Philippa Neville (1386–after 1453), Baroness Dacre
Saint Philippa (died 220), Christian martyr and saint
Modern era
Air Commodore Philippa Marshall (1920–2005), British Royal Air Force officer
Philippa Ballantine (born 1971), New Zealand author of speculative fiction
Philippa Blair (1945–2025), New Zealand artist
Philippa "Phily" Bowden (born 1995), British runner
Philippa Boyens (born 1962), New Zealand screenwriter
Philippa Coulthard, Australian actress
Philippa Cross (born 1966), British rower
Philippa Cullen (1950–1975), Australian performance artist
Philippa Dickinson (born 1955), British publisher
Philippa Dunne, Irish actress and writer
Philippa Fawcett (1868–1948), English mathematician and educationalist
Philippa Foot (1920–2010), British philosopher
Philippa Forrester (born 1968), British television presenter and producer
Philippa Gardner (born 1965), British computer scientist and academic
Philippa Gregory (born 1954), British novelist
Philippa Hanna (born 1984), British singer and songwriter
Philippa Holland, British jewellery designer
Fictional characters
Philippa Eilhart, in The Witcher Saga novels by Andrzej Sapkowski, the video game and the Netflix TV series
Philippa Finch (née Featherington), in the Bridgerton novels by Julia Quinn and the Netflix TV series
Philippa Fisher, titular character of the novel series by Liz Kessler
Philippa Gaunt, in the Children of the Lamp novels
Philippa Georgiou, in the Netflix series Star Trek: Discovery and the spin off film Star Trek: Section 31
Philippa Scopes, in the British TV soap opera Coronation Street
Phillipa Wade, in the Australian TV soap opera Neighbours