Frequency: (1827)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
French (Pépin) and English: from the Old French personal name Pepis, oblique case Pepin (introduced to Britain by the Normans). Of uncertain origin, it was borne by several Frankish kings, most notably Pepin le Bref, father of Charlemagne, and remained popular throughout the early Middle Ages. Reaney and Wilson suggest that late-formed examples of the English surname may alternatively be from Old French pepin, pipin ‘seed of a fruit’, and thus a metonymic occupational name for a gardener or grower of fruit trees. This surname is also established in northwest Germany, around Cologne.
FOREBEARS: The earliest Pépin in Canada, of unknown provenance, was documented in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, in 1645. Others originated in Normandy, France. Associated secondary surnames include Lachance, Laforce, Descardonnets, and Cardonnet.
GIVEN NAMES: French 11%. Andre (5), Armand (5), Camille (5), Emile (4), Pierre (4), Gilles (3), Lucien (3), Normand (3), Alcide (2), Fernand (2), Jacques (2), Marcel (2).
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
