Philippa is a feminine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

meaning "lover of

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

s" or "

s' friend", from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

Philippos, which is derived from ''philein'', meaning

to love To Love () is a 1968 Soviet romantic drama film directed by Mikhail Kalik and Inna Tumanyan. The film consists of four short stories, each of which asks the audience a question: "What is love?" Plot First Story On a rainy day, three couple ...

and ''hippos'', meaning ''

''. The

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

masculine form is

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...

, which was formerly the

vernacular Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...

form for both sexes. The

Latinate Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area around Rome, Italy. Through the expansion o ...

Philippa was used in official church records for women bearing the name in medieval times, but they were actually called Philip or the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

Philippe Philippe is a masculine given name, cognate to Philip, and sometimes also a surname. The name may refer to: * Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present) * Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer * Prince ...

. The name Philippa came into common use for women in the

Anglosphere The Anglosphere, also known as the Anglo-American world, is a Western-led sphere of influence among the Anglophone countries. The core group of this sphere of influence comprises five developed countries that maintain close social, cultura ...

in the 1800s. Common alternative spellings include ''

Filippa Filippa is a given name meaning "lover of horses" or "horses' friend". Common alternative spellings include ''Philippa'', ''Phillippa'' or '' Filipa''. It is the feminine form of the masculine name ''Philip'' in Scandinavia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus ...

'' and ''Phillipa''. Less common is ''

Filipa Filipa is a given name meaning "friend of horses". Common alternative spellings include ''Philippa'', ''Phillippa'', ''Filippa'', or ''Filipa''. It is the feminine form of the masculine name ''Philip'' in Serbian, Portuguese, Croatian, Czech a ...

''. The name is commonly shortened to the

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

s '' Pippa'', ''Pippy'', ''Pippita'', ''Pipka'', ''Pippulina'', and Pip. Notable people with the name Philippa include:

Pre-modern era

Philippa, 5th Countess of Ulster Philippa of Clarence also known as Philippa Plantagenet or Philippa de Burgh or Philippa of Eltham (16 August 1355 – 5 January 1382) was a medieval English princess and the ''suo jure'' Countess of Ulster. Biography She was born at Eltham ...

(1355–1382), English noblewoman and granddaughter of Edward III of England *

Philippa, Countess of Toulouse Philippa () ( 1073 – 28 November 1118) was ''suo jure'' Countess of Toulouse, as well as the Duchess of Aquitaine by marriage to Duke William IX of Aquitaine. She is the Grandmother of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of England through her marriag ...

(c. 1073 – 1118), ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

'' Countess of Toulouse and Duchess of Aquitaine *

Philippa of Antioch Philippa of Antioch (11481178) was a noblewoman from the Latin East. Philippa was the daughter of Constance of Antioch and Raymond of Poitiers. Philippa's siblings were Bohemond III of Antioch and Maria of Antioch. In 1149, her father died in th ...

(1148 – 1178), Lady of Toron *

Philippa of Armenia Philippa of Armenia (1183 – before 1219) was Empress consort of Nicaea from 1214 until 1216, as the second wife of Emperor Theodore I Lascaris. She was a daughter of Ruben III of Armenia and Isabella of Toron. Her maternal grandparents were Hu ...

(1183 – before 1219), Empress consort of Nicaea *

Philippa of Catania Philippa of Catania, also known as Philippa the Catanian or Filippa Catanese (died in 1345), was a Sicilian woman of low birth who became an influential figure in the royal court of the Kingdom of Naples. Early life Born in Catania, Philippa was ...

(died 1345), Sicilian woman of low birth who became an influential figure in the royal court of the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

Philippa of Champagne Philippa of Champagne () ( – 20 December 1250) was the third daughter of Queen Isabella I of Jerusalem and Count Henry II of Champagne. She was the wife of Erard de Brienne-Ramerupt, who encouraged her in 1216 to claim the county of Champagne wh ...

(1197–1250), Lady of Ramerupt and de Vénisy *

Philippa of Coimbra Infanta Philippa of Coimbra (1437–1497) was the youngest child of Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra, and Isabella of Urgell, Duchess of Coimbra. She became a nun in the Convent of Odivelas Odivelas () is a municipality in the Lisbon metropolitan ...

(1437–1497), Portuguese noblewoman and nun *

Philippa of England Philippa of England (mid-1394 – 5 January 1430), also known as Philippa of Lancaster, was Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden from 1406 to 1430 by marriage to King Eric of the Kalmar Union. She was the daughter of King Henry IV of England b ...

(1394–1430), daughter of Henry IV of England, Queen of Sweden, Denmark and Norway *

Philippa of Guelders Philippa of Guelders (; 1464 – 1547), was a Duchess consort of Lorraine. She served as regent of Lorraine in 1509 during the absence of her son. She was the great-grandmother to Mary, Queen of Scots. Life Philippa was born in Brabant in 1464, th ...

(1464–1547), Duchess consort of Lorraine *

Philippa of Hainault Philippa of Hainault (sometimes spelled Hainaut; Middle French: ''Philippe de Hainaut''; 24 June 1310 (or 1315) – 15 August 1369) was List of English consorts, Queen of England as the wife and political adviser of King Edward III. She acted a ...

(c. 1310/15–1369), queen consort of Edward III of England *

Philippa of Lancaster Philippa of Lancaster ( ; 31 March 1360 – 19 July 1415) was Queen of Portugal from 1387 until 1415 as the wife of King John I. Born into the royal family of England, her marriage secured the Treaty of Windsor and produced several children ...

(1360–1415), English princess, consort queen of Portugal *

Philippa of Luxembourg Philippa of Luxembourg (1252 – 6 April 1311) was the daughter of Count Henry V of Luxembourg and his wife, Marguerite of Bar. She married John II, Count of Holland.M. A. Pollock, ''Scotland, England and France After the Loss of Normandy, 1204-1 ...

(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 Philippa de Stafford, Countess of Stafford (before 1344 – 6 April 1386), was a late medieval English noblewoman and the daughter of Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick, KG, and Katherine Mortimer. Her maternal grandfather was the pow ...

(1344–1386), Countess of Stafford *

Philippa de Coucy Philippa de Coucy, Countess of Oxford, Duchess of Ireland (before 18 April 1367 – 24 September 1411) was a first cousin of King Richard II of England and the wife of his favourite, Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, Marquess of Dublin, Duk ...

(1367–1411), Countess of Oxford, Duchess of Ireland *

Philippa de Mohun Philippa de Mohun (c. 1367 – 17 July 1431) was Duchess of York, as a result of her third marriage to Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York (c.1373–1415), Lord of the Isle of Wight, a grandson of King Edward III (1327–1377). She succeeded her ...

(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 The Witches of Belvoir were a mother and her two daughters accused of witchcraft in England and the deaths of two young brothers, Henry (died 1613) and Francis Manners (died 1620), the heirs to Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland, whose seat wa ...

who was executed by hanging for witchcraft *

Philippa Mareri Philippa Mareri was born in 1190/1200 and died in 1236. Beatified in 1247, her sanctuary is in Borgo San Pietro, a ''frazione'' of Petrella Salto. Her feast day is 16 February. She was the foundress of the monastery of Franciscan Sisters of Saint ...

(died 1236), beatified foundress of the Catholic monastery of Franciscan Sisters of Saint Philippa Mareri, also known as

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare (Latin language, Latin: ''Ordo Sanctae Clarae''), originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and also known as the Clarisses or Clarissines, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Or ...

* 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 Air Commodore Philippa Frances Marshall (4 November 1920 – 4 February 2005) was a British Royal Air Force officer, who served as director of the Women's Royal Air Force from 1969 to 1973. Biography Marshall was born on 4 November 1920 in Stok ...

(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 Philippa Anne Coulthard is an Australian television actress, best known for playing Jorjie in the ''Doctor Who'' spin-off series '' K-9'', lead character Amber Mitchell in '' Lightning Point'', and Helen Schlegel in the BBC production of ''Howar ...

, Australian actress * Philippa Cross (born 1966), British rower * Philippa Cullen (1950–1975), Australian performance artist *

Philippa Dunne Philippa Dunne is an Irish actress and writer. She is known for co-writing and starring in the RTÉ comedy '' The Walshes'', as well as her roles as Anne Flynn in ''Motherland'' and its spin-off ''Amandaland'', Geraldine Devlin in '' Derry Girl ...

, Irish actress and writer *

Philippa Fawcett Philippa Garrett Fawcett (4 April 1868 – 10 June 1948) was an English mathematician and educator. She was the first woman to obtain the top score in the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos exams. She taught at Newnham College, Cambridge, and at the n ...

(1868–1948), English mathematician and educationalist *

Philippa Foot Philippa Ruth Foot (; 3 October 1920 – 3 October 2010) was an English philosopher and one of the founders of contemporary virtue ethics. Her work was inspired by Aristotelian ethics. Along with Judith Jarvis Thomson, she is credited with in ...

(1920–2010), British philosopher *

Philippa Forrester Philippa Clare Ryan Forrester (born 20 September 1968) is a British television and radio presenter, producer and author. Forrester has presented shows including CBBC, ''Tomorrow's World'', Crufts, ''The Heaven and Earth Show'' and ''Robot Wars'' ...

(born 1968), British television presenter and producer * Philippa Gardner (born 1965), British computer scientist and academic *

Philippa Gregory Philippa Gregory (born 9 January 1954) is an English historical novelist who has been publishing since 1987. The best known of her works is ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2001), which in 2002 won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Roman ...

(born 1954), British novelist *

Philippa Hanna Philippa Hanna (born 28 March 1984) is an English singer and songwriter. She has worked in a variety of musical styles, but is mainly associated with the contemporary Christian music genre. Career Hanna was brought up in a musical family. Her f ...

(born 1984), British singer and songwriter * Philippa Holland, British jewellery designer * Philippa Johnson-Dwyer (born 1974), South African para equestrian athlete and double gold medallist * Philippa Namutebi Kabali-Kagwa (born 1964), Ugandan author and life coach *

Philippa Langley Philippa Jayne Langley (born 29 June 1962) is a British writer, producer, and Ricardian, who is best known for her role in the discovery and 2012 exhumation of Richard III, as part of the ''Looking for Richard'' project, for which she was awa ...

(born 1962), British writer and producer, best known for her role in the discovery and 2012 exhumation of Richard III *

Philippa Lowthorpe Philippa Lowthorpe (born 27 December 1961) is an English film and television director. She was awarded the Deluxe Director Award at the WFTV Film and Television Awards for the miniseries '' Three Girls''. She recently directed episodes of the ...

(born 1961), British film and TV director *

Philippa Ngaju Makobore Philippa Ngaju Makobore is a Ugandan electrical engineer. She is the head of the instrumentation division at the Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI). Early life and education Makobore studied at Gayaza High School but graduated from a h ...

, Ugandan electrical engineer and academic *

Pippa Mann Pippa Mann (born 11 August 1983) is a British racing car driver who currently competes in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. She has also competed in the IndyCar Series. She was born in London, United Kingdom. Career Formula Renault Man ...

(born 1983), British racing car driver *

Philippa Marrack Philippa Marrack, FRS (born 28 June 1945) is an English immunologist and academic, based in the United States, best known for her research and discoveries pertaining to T cells. Marrack is the Ida and Cecil Green Professor and chair of the Dep ...

(born 1945), British immunologist and academic *

Pippa Middleton Philippa Charlotte Matthews (née Middleton; born 6 September 1983) is a British socialite, author and columnist. She is the younger sister of Catherine, Princess of Wales. Born in Reading, Berkshire and raised in Bucklebury, Middleton atte ...

(born 1983), English socialite, author, and sister of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge * Philippa Nikulinsky (born 1942), Australian artist and botanical illustrator * Philippa Northeast (born 1994), Australian actress *

Philippa Pearce Ann Philippa Pearce OBE FRSL (22 January 1920 – 21 December 2006) was an English author of children's books. Best known of them is the time-slip novel '' Tom's Midnight Garden'', which won the 1958 Carnegie Medal from the Library Associati ...

(1920–2006), English children's author * Philippa Perry (born 1957), British psychotherapist and author *

Philippa Schuyler Philippa Duke Schuyler (; August 2, 1931 – May 9, 1967) was an American concert pianist, composer, author, and journalist. A child prodigy, she was the daughter of black journalist George Schuyler and Josephine Schuyler, a white Texan heiress. ...

(1931–1967), American pianist and child prodigy *

Philippa Scott Felicity Philippa, Lady Scott (22 November 1918 – 5 January 2010) was a British wildlife conservationist. Personal life Born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, Scott moved to England, and worked in the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletch ...

(1918–2010), British wildlife conservationist *

Phillipa Slater 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 forme ...

, British civil engineer * Philippa Smyth (born 1995), Australian footballer *

Phillipa Soo Phillipa Anne Soo ( ; born May 31, 1990) is an American actress and singer. Known for her leading roles on Broadway (theatre), Broadway primarily in musicals, she has received two Grammy Awards along with nominations for a Tony Awards, Tony Awar ...

(born 1990), American actress/singer * Philippa Stewart, Countess of Galloway (1905–1974), American heiress who married into the Scottish aristocracy *

Philippa Stroud, Baroness Stroud Philippa Claire Stroud, Baroness Stroud (born 2 April 1965) is a Conservative Party Peer in the House of Lords and leader of several conservative think tanks. She is co-founder and, since November 2023, the chief executive officer of Allian ...

(born 1965), British think tanker * Philippa Strachey (1872–1968), British suffragist *

Philippa Urquhart Philippa Urquhart is a British actress, best known for her performance as Lillian Cartland in the 1980s BBC television drama '' Tenko''. Career Urquhart has worked as a film, television and theatre actress for more than fifty years. A former me ...

, British actress *

Philippa Whipple Dame Philippa Jane Whipple, ( Edwards; born 7 May 1966) is a British judge, former barrister, and former solicitor. Between October 2015 and November 2021, she was a Justice of the High Court assigned to the Queen's Bench Division. Since Nove ...

(born 1966), British high court judge and barrister *

Philippa Whitford Philippa Whitford (born 24 December 1958) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician and a breast surgeon. Originally from Northern Ireland, she was first elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Central Ayrshire in May 2015 and was re ...

(born 1958), Scottish politician and breast surgeon *

Phillippa Yaa de Villiers Phillippa Yaa de Villiers (born 17 February 1966)Phillippa Yaa de Vill ...

(born 1966), South African poet and performance artist *

Philippa York Philippa York (born Robert Millar on 13 September 1958) is a Scottish journalist and former professional road racing cyclist. York, who competed when known as Robert Millar, is one of Britain's most successful cyclists. York won the "King of ...

(born 1958), Scottish journalist and former professional cyclist

Fictional characters

* Philippa Eilhart, in '' The Witcher Saga'' novels by

Andrzej Sapkowski Andrzej Sapkowski (; born 21 June 1948) is a Polish fantasy writer. He is best known for his series of books '' The Witcher'', which revolves around the eponymous monster-hunter, Geralt of Rivia. The saga has been popularized through television ...

, the video game adaptions and the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

TV series adaption ''

The Witcher ''The Witcher'' (, ) is a series of 9 fantasy novels and 15 short stories by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The series revolves around the eponymous witcher, Geralt of Rivia. Witchers are monster hunters given superhuman abilities for the ...

'', played by Cassie Clare * Philippa Finch (née Featherington), in the ''Bridgerton'' novels by

Julia Quinn Julie Pottinger (née Cotler; born January 12, 1970), better known by her pen name, Julia Quinn, is an American author. Her novels have been translated into 41 languages and have appeared on The New York Times Bestseller List, ''The New York Times ...

and the Netflix TV series adaption ''

Bridgerton ''Bridgerton'' is an American alternative history regency romance television series created by Chris Van Dusen for Netflix. Based on the book series Bridgerton (novel series), of the same name by Julia Quinn, it is Shondaland's first scripted ...

'', played by Harriet Cains * Philippa Fisher, titular character of the novel series by Liz Kessler *

Philippa Gaunt ''Children of the Lamp'' is a series of contemporary children's fantasy novels written by British author P. B. Kerr. It tells the story of twins John and Philippa as they discover how to act in the world of djinn. Volumes Reception Writing ...

, in the ''

Children of the Lamp ''Children of the Lamp'' is a series of contemporary children's fantasy novels written by British author P. B. Kerr. It tells the story of twins John and Philippa as they discover how to act in the world of djinn. Volumes Reception Writin ...

'' novels by Phillip Kerr *

Philippa Georgiou Philippa Georgiou is a fictional character appearing in the ''Star Trek'' franchise portrayed by Michelle Yeoh. First appearing in "The Vulcan Hello", the pilot episode of '' Star Trek: Discovery'', Yeoh features as a major member of the recurr ...

, in the Netflix series '' Star Trek: Discovery'' and the spin off film '' Star Trek: Section 31'', played by

Michelle Yeoh Yeoh Choo Kheng (; born 6 August 1962), known professionally as Michelle Yeoh (), is a Malaysian actress. In a career spanning over four decades, Yeoh has appeared Michelle Yeoh filmography, in projects encompassing a wide array of genres, a ...

* Philippa Gordon, in the 1915 book ''

Anne of the Island ''Anne of the Island'' is the third book in the ''Anne of Green Gables'' series by Lucy Maud Montgomery. The plot sees Anne Shirley leave Green Gables in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island, for the first time to attend Redmond College in Kingsport, No ...

'', the third book in the ''

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, t ...

'' series by

Lucy Maud Montgomery Lucy Maud Montgomery (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), published as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a collection of novels, essays, short stories, and poetry beginning in 1908 with '' Anne of Green Gables''. Sh ...

* Philippa Pemberton, MI5 director general in season 2 of the Netflix TV series ''

The Diplomat A diplomat is someone who represents a government in its relations with other governments. It may also refer to: Diplomat, the Diplomat or the Diplomats may refer to: Media * ''The Diplomat'' (magazine), a Washington, D.C. online foreign affa ...

'', played by

Nancy Carroll Nancy Carroll (born Ann Veronica Lahiff; November 19, 1903 – August 6, 1965) was an American actress. She started her career in Broadway musicals and then became an actress in sound films and was in many films from 1927 to 1938. She was t ...

* Philippa Scopes, in the British TV soap opera ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

'' , played by Jacqueline Jones * Philippa Sontag, supervillain

Arclight An arclight or arc lamp is a lamp that produces a bright light by generating an electric arc across two electrodes. Arclight, Arc Light or arc light may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Arclight (comics), a mutant super-villai ...

Marvel comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

, first appearing in ''

Uncanny X-Men ''Uncanny X-Men'', originally published as ''The X-Men'', is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the List of X-Men comics, X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of super ...

'' #210 * Phillipa Wade, in the Australian TV soap opera ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...

References

{{given name English feminine given names English-language feminine given names Feminine given names Greek feminine given names Given names of Greek language origin Given names derived from animals

Pre-modern era

Modern era

Fictional characters

See also

References