Pippin

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Pippin or Pepin 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[]

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:

  • In Spanish and Italian the name Pepe or Pepin is a shortening or nickname for Jose, Giuseppe, Jusepe, which all are names for Joseph. It's unsure if the early medieval name of Pepin also derives from Joseph.
  • 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]
  • 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.
  • 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]

People[]

Carolingians[]

Other people[]

Characters[]

  • a character in the novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
  • the nickname of Peregrin Took in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
  • the protagonist of the novel The Short Reign of Pippin IV by John Steinbeck
  • the yellow dog in a picture book series by K. V. Johansen
  • the little boy in the BBC children's programme Pogles' Wood
  • the dog in the BBC children's programme Come Outside
  • Pippin, an American musical based on Pepin the Hunchback
  • a mercenary soldier member of the Band of the Hawk in Berserk (manga)

See also[]

References[]

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