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Pippin (name)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pippin or Pepin is a given name and surname. It is a masculine given name of Frankish origin with uncertain meaning. The name was borne by various members of the Carolingian family that ruled the Austrasian Empire in the Middle Ages, in what is now France and the western parts of Germany; most notably Pepin the Short, the first Carolingian king of the Franks and father of Charlemagne. Other variations of the name include Pipin, Pépin (French), Pippen, Pepijn (Dutch), Peppino or Pepino (Italian), and Pepe (Spanish).

Origin

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Wider use of the first name Pepin and its derivatives stem from the Carolingian kings. There are various explanations of the meaning of the name:

  • Derived from the Frankish word bib meaning "to tremble" (compare modern Dutch bibberen, meaning to tremble or shiver), thus it could mean "awe-inspiring".[1]
  • Dutch sources suggest that the name Pepijn is an infantile corruption of Wilbert or Wilbrecht meaning will and bright, where Wilbert gets shortened into Wilbo which morphed into Pippo and finally into Pepin.[2]
  • Late-formed examples of the English surname may alternatively be from Old French pepin or pipin ‘seed of a fruit’, and thus a metonymic occupational name for a gardener or grower of fruit trees.
  • In Spanish and Italian the names Pepe, Pepin and Peppino are a shortening or nickname for José, Jusepe or Giuseppe, which all are names for Joseph. The Frankish name probably comes from a different stem as the historical figures in these languages are called Pipino, not Peppe or Peppino.

People

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Carolingians

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Other people

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Characters

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Meaning, origin and history of the name Pépin - Behind the Name".
  2. ^ "Voornaam Pepijn: betekenis en populariteit (Dutch)".