This interesting surname derives from the old French personal name Pepis, old Germanic given name Pepin, introduced into Britain by the Normans. It is of uncertain origin, perhaps originally a byname meaning "Terrible" or "Awe inspiring", from a root "bib" meaning to tremble. It was borne by several Frankish Kings, most notably Pepin le Bref, father of Charlemagne, and remained popular throughout the Middle Ages. The surname is first recorded in the late 11th Century, (see below). One, Henry Pipin, is noted in the 1195 Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire and John Pepin appears as a witness in the 1202 Norfolk Feet of Fines. Later examples of the surname may be from the old French "pepin" or "pipin" meaning the seed of a fleshy fruit and would have originated as an occupational name for a gardener. In the modern idiom, the surname has many variant spellings including Pepin, Pepys, Pippin, Pipon etc.. On January 29th 1618, Elizabeth Peppin and John Swetlad were married at Claybrook Leicestershire and the marriage of William Pepin and Alice Loseby took place at Billesdon, Leicestershire on October 26th 1779. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ralph Pipin, which was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book of Leicestershire", during the reign of King William 1, known as "William the Conqueror", 1066 - 1087. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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