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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Effie or Pippa

83 replies

Clearlynoti · 29/10/2025 14:01

Hi all, so I posted last night about whether we should spell Effie as Effie or Effy. I think Effie won by far. However this has reopened the conversation on if we should use Pippa instead.
We have an older DD but I’m reluctant to share her name as it was mentioned on a different thread and very unpopular.

We are pretty much down to Effie or Pippa, not really looking for other options, nor do we really care if you think they are both awful. We won’t be doing full names as we prefer the shortened version and we stuck to that with DD1.

I guess my question is Effie or Pippa?
Please be kind and consider I’m not actually asking your thoughts on the names or whether you would use them or what you would use instead. If you don’t like either name feel free not to vote and scroll on!

OP posts:
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eqpi4t2hbsnktd · 29/10/2025 14:52

TMMC1 · 29/10/2025 14:47

Effie is short for Euphemia, it’s a an old Scottish name. Personally I prefer Phemie, its warmer and friendly.

Show quote history

Is Phemie pronounced 'Femie' as in short for femidom?

eqpi4t2hbsnktd · 29/10/2025 14:50

Effie? Bit iffy.

TMMC1 · 29/10/2025 14:47

GreenCandleWax · 29/10/2025 14:39

I don't like Pippa. It sounds coy and silly to me. You do realise the full name is Philippa? That has more gravitas for when she is grown up, but in the meantime she could be Pippa for short. Effie sounds like a Victorian parlourmaid to me - it must be short for some longer name?

Effie is short for Euphemia, it’s a an old Scottish name. Personally I prefer Phemie, its warmer and friendly.

BarnacleBeasley · 29/10/2025 14:46

I studied German at university so Effie makes me think of Effi Briest, which is a novel about a young girl who marries an older man, has an affair, then dies. I realise that's a bit niche though.

StarlightRobot · 29/10/2025 14:45

Pippa makes me think of Pippa
Middleton. I don’t love it but it’s better than Effie

Original poster
Clearlynoti · 29/10/2025 14:44

PerfunctoryFunk · 29/10/2025 14:42

Are you referring to the twins thread? That was a bit brutal, must have been hard to read, OP.

Somehow the 'ie' ending of Gigi is less pronounced than Lexie or Betsy for example, so I don't think Effie along side it feels like too many 'ie' endings.

Yes that’s the thread, it was a pretty horrific read to be honest and I think it wouldn’t hurt people to be more mindful that even if they don’t like a name there is a polite way to say that which doesn’t make accusations or assumptions about the type of parent to pick the name or the future prospects of a child with that name!

OP posts:
PerfunctoryFunk · 29/10/2025 14:42

Are you referring to the twins thread? That was a bit brutal, must have been hard to read, OP.

Somehow the 'ie' ending of Gigi is less pronounced than Lexie or Betsy for example, so I don't think Effie along side it feels like too many 'ie' endings.

Parsleysalad · 29/10/2025 14:42

Clearlynoti · 29/10/2025 14:37

Oh gosh I know. I just didn’t want to say as I (naturally) feel quite protective over DDs name and found it a little tough seeing some (admittedly not all) posters being pretty horrible about it and the type of person who would pick it. But incase it actually does sway anyone’s views or if I have missed an obvious flaw in the two names together. Our older DD is Gigi (please be kind if anyone doesn’t like it, she’s a real little girl with that name!)

Show quote history

Gigi is going to be marmite on here but I quite like it. Gigi and Effie sounds better to me than Gigi and Pippa.

You could be bold and go for Bibi to match!

StarlightRobot · 29/10/2025 14:41

Effie was a huge comedy character in Australia in the ‘90s. She was hilarious, really brash with giant hair, etc, but maybe not very politically correct. Any Aussie from that era would recognise it

www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/comedian-mary-coustas-explains-the-immaculate-conception-of-her-alter-ego-greek-goddess-effie/news-story/39b03ce4b51313bfda6309068dbf6208

Original poster
Clearlynoti · 29/10/2025 14:41

GreenCandleWax · 29/10/2025 14:39

I don't like Pippa. It sounds coy and silly to me. You do realise the full name is Philippa? That has more gravitas for when she is grown up, but in the meantime she could be Pippa for short. Effie sounds like a Victorian parlourmaid to me - it must be short for some longer name?

I’m aware they are short for full names. I don’t like the full names, I do like the shorter names, I’m not going to give my child a name we don’t like for “gravitas”.

OP posts:
GreenCandleWax · 29/10/2025 14:39

I don't like Pippa. It sounds coy and silly to me. You do realise the full name is Philippa? That has more gravitas for when she is grown up, but in the meantime she could be Pippa for short. Effie sounds like a Victorian parlourmaid to me - it must be short for some longer name?

Goandygo · 29/10/2025 14:38

AtomicPumpkin · 29/10/2025 14:27

Effie sounds like a Victorian housemaid who came to a bad end.

Edited

This made me laugh so much.
And we have a new arrival in the family by the name of Effie.
I like to think it's short for Euphemia ( meaning well - spoken), but she's just Effie.

Original poster
Clearlynoti · 29/10/2025 14:37

Parsleysalad · 29/10/2025 14:33

Also this place is fickle, you could do a post about your elder DD's name and everyone could rave about it, unless it's Krystal and then you're on a sticky wicket 😁

Oh gosh I know. I just didn’t want to say as I (naturally) feel quite protective over DDs name and found it a little tough seeing some (admittedly not all) posters being pretty horrible about it and the type of person who would pick it. But incase it actually does sway anyone’s views or if I have missed an obvious flaw in the two names together. Our older DD is Gigi (please be kind if anyone doesn’t like it, she’s a real little girl with that name!)

OP posts:
Makingpeace · 29/10/2025 14:36

Only ever met awful Pippas. So t has totally put me off the name.Strong dislike the name Effie. Makes me think of The Hunger Games.

DeQuin · 29/10/2025 14:35

Effie reminds me of Effie Trinket in Hunger Games, and sounds like a nn on its own but my mind runs over with trying to work out what the full name might be. Really like Pippa (though is also a NN somehow works better in its own right).

Overthebow · 29/10/2025 14:34

I like Pippa.

PerfunctoryFunk · 29/10/2025 14:33

For me I think Effie Brazier flows better than Pippa Brazier, but neither sound off.

Parsleysalad · 29/10/2025 14:33

Also this place is fickle, you could do a post about your elder DD's name and everyone could rave about it, unless it's Krystal and then you're on a sticky wicket 😁

MurdoMunro · 29/10/2025 14:32

I had a Pippa doll when I was little and I loved her (am old 😆) and also loved Pippi Longstocking with her ginger pigtails sticking out sideways. So there you go, my entirely irrelevant and tenuous reasons to vote Pippa!

Original poster
Clearlynoti · 29/10/2025 14:31

PerfunctoryFunk · 29/10/2025 14:30

I like Effie because I think in my mind I'm shortcutting from Seraphina, which I love. I also like names with Es in them.

Pippa is a bit rabbity for me, but I can see the appeal in that people won't ask what it's short for, plus it's not an 'ie' ending matching your other DD.

Both names tick the box of 'unusual but not weird', which was a criteria of mine when choosing names.

In short, I don't think you can go wrong with either. Which works best with your surname?

Edited to add...
Is your first DD's name a cutesy one, or does it just happen to end in an ie sound? For some reason I don't find Effie that cute (maybe because of the Euphemia connection) compared to Poppy/Daisy so I don't think it would be too cloying to have two 'ies'.

Edited

I’m not really sure which is better with our surname, they just both sound “fine” to me. Our surname is Brazier.

OP posts:
Parsleysalad · 29/10/2025 14:31

Pippa is a nicer sound and not Effie off, but effie would be a nice NN

PerfunctoryFunk · 29/10/2025 14:30

I like Effie because I think in my mind I'm shortcutting from Seraphina, which I love. I also like names with Es in them.

Pippa is a bit rabbity for me, but I can see the appeal in that people won't ask what it's short for, plus it's not an 'ie' ending matching your other DD.

Both names tick the box of 'unusual but not weird', which was a criteria of mine when choosing names.

In short, I don't think you can go wrong with either. Which works best with your surname?

Edited to add...
Is your first DD's name a cutesy one, or does it just happen to end in an ie sound? For some reason I don't find Effie that cute (maybe because of the Euphemia connection) compared to Poppy/Daisy so I don't think it would be too cloying to have two 'ies'.

AtomicPumpkin · 29/10/2025 14:27

Effie sounds like a Victorian housemaid who came to a bad end.

purple590 · 29/10/2025 14:25

Effie sounds like a NN, and not a very nice one IMO. It's makes me think, is that short for elephant or effluent?

Pippa I love.

youngerself · 29/10/2025 14:22

I've got a Pippa

Usually people pipe up on here that it means blow job in some country or
other but this has never been an issue 🙄

Personally I like strong sounding names and Pippa is the stronger of the 2 names imo