Show ContentsPeeples History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Peeples family name was first used by descendants of the Pictish people of ancient Scotland. It is a name for someone who lived in the town of Peebles in the county of the same name. The name is occasionally derived from residence in the lands called Peebles near St. Vigeans in the county of Angus. 1 2 3

Early Origins of the Peeples family

The surname Peeples was first found in Peeblesshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd nam Pùballan), former county in South-central Scotland, in the present day Scottish Borders Council Area, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

One of the first on record was Sir Robert Peebles who was Chamberlain of Scotland in 1328, followed by John Peebles, Archdeacon of St. Andrews and Chancellor of Scotland in 1384. "Symon de Pebles made a donation of the land of Quilt in the sheriffdom of Peebles in 1328 and John de Peblys was master of the Hospital of Peebles in 1362. Another John de Peblis was burgess of Edinburgh in 1368, and a third John de Peblys was archdeacon of St. Andrews in 1378 and chancellor of Scotland in 1384 (CAB., p. 233; Bain, rv, 322). William of Pebylls, Scottish merchant, had a safe conduct in England, 1446 (Bain, rv, 1187), Magister David Peblis was charter witness in Dunfermline, 1483 (RD., p. 372), Johannes Peblis witnessed a charter by the abbot of Scone to William Peblis, 1491 (Scon, p. 201), and Henry Pebles alias Peblys of Southampton, late of Edinburgh in Scotland, had a protection in 1495 (Bain, rv, 1609). John Peblis was witness in Perth, 1546 ( (Rollok, 12). Sir Bernard Peblis was vicar of Inchynnan in 1555 (Protocols, i), John Peblis was procurator to William, master of Ruthven, 1564 (Scon, 231), another John Peblis was burgess of Irvine in 1590 (Irvine, i, p. 64), and Robert Peiblis was bailie of Irving in 1634 (Inquis., 2054). A family of this name held land of the Abbey of Scone in fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and the family of Peebles of Broomlands in Cunningham were old landed proprietors. " 4

Early History of the Peeples family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Peeples research. Another 53 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1555, 1559, 1560, 1579, 1631, 1669 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Peeples History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peeples Spelling Variations

Scribes in the Middle Ages did not have access to a set of spelling rules. They spelled according to sound, the result was a great number of spelling variations. In various documents, Peeples has been spelled Peebles, Peebes, Peebbes, Peeples, Peoples and many more.

Early Notables of the Peeples family

Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Peeples Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peeples Ranking

In the United States, the name Peeples is the 3,736th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 5

Ireland Migration of the Peeples family to Ireland

Some of the Peeples family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 140 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Peeples migration to the United States +

The cruelties suffered under the new government forced many to leave their ancient homeland for the freedom of the North American colonies. Those who arrived safely found land, freedom, and opportunity for the taking. These hardy settlers gave their strength and perseverance to the young nations that would become the United States and Canada. Immigration and passenger lists have shown many early immigrants bearing the name Peeples:

Peeples Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • H A Peeples, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1856 6
  • James Peeples, who settled in Philadelphia in 1869

Contemporary Notables of the name Peeples (post 1700) +

  • Virenia Gwendolyn "Nia" Peeples (b. 1961), American R&B and dance music singer and actress
  • Roderick Peeples, American actor, best known for his role on the television show Prison Break
  • Samuel Anthony Peeples (1917-1997), American author, who often wrote under the pen name Brad Ward
  • George Peeples (b. 1943), American former professional basketball player
  • Thomas H. Peeples (b. 1882), American Democratic Party politician, Member of South Carolina State House of Representatives, 1911-12, 1925-26; South Carolina State Attorney General, 1913-18 7
  • T. M. Peeples, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 1888 7
  • John R. Peeples, American politician, Representative from South Carolina 1st District, 1992 7
  • James Edwin Peeples, American politician, Mayor of Adel, Georgia, 1889-91 7
  • C. Peeples, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 1868 7
  • Adam Peeples (b. 1978), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Utah, 2004 7
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  4. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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