The baby name Pippa was popularized recently by royal sister Pippa Middleton, but an even earlier pop culture Pippa put the name on the map initially:
- 1959: unlisted
- 1958: unlisted
- 1957: 5 baby girls named Pippa [debut]
- 1956: unlisted
- 1955: unlisted
That Pippa was young actress Philippa “Pippa” Scott.
Pippa Scott’s first film was the memorable Western The Searchers (1956), which starred John Wayne.
(The title of Buddy Holly’s first hit song, “That’ll Be The Day,” came from an expression that John Wayne’s character, Ethan Edwards, used repeatedly in The Searchers. And his second hit song, “Peggy Sue,” boosted the compound name Peggysue into the data for the first time — just one year after Pippa’s debut.)
Pippa Scott went on to appear in dozens of TV shows and movies during the ’60s and ’70s, and the name’s continued usage during those decades reflects this.
What are your thoughts on the baby name Pippa? Would you use it?
Sources: Pippa Scott – IMDb, That’ll Be The Day by Buddy Holly – Songfacts, SSA
Image: Screenshot of The Searchers
I like the name Pippa a lot, and I also like TV shows from the ’60s and ’70s. I remember seeing Pippa Scott’s name in the credits of one a few years back and being pleasantly surprised by someone named Pippa back then. I never realized she was responsible for the name’s popularity!