| ![Show Contents]() Pepe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
When the Anglo-Normans began to settle in Ireland, they brought the tradition of local surnames to an island which already had a Gaelic naming system of hereditary surnames established. Unlike the Irish, the Anglo-Normans had an affinity for local surnames. Local surnames, such as Pepe, were formed from the names of a place or a geographical landmark where the person lived, held land, or was born. The earliest Anglo-Norman surnames of this type came from Normandy, but as the Normans moved, they created names that referred to where they actually resided. Therefore, English places were used for names when the Normans lived in England, and then Irish places after these particular Anglo-Normans had been settled in Ireland for some time. Originally, these place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. However, this type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname, if the place name began with a vowel, or it was eliminated entirely. The Pepe family originally lived in either Peppard or Pipard in Normandy. The surname Pepe belongs to the large category of Anglo-Norman habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Early Origins of the Pepe familyThe surname Pepe was first found in at Drogheda in County Louth (Irish: Lú) the smallest county in Ireland, located on the East coast, in the Province of Leinster, where they were descended from Gilbert de Angulo, a Norman Commander of Strongbow, the Earl of Pembroke. Gilbert obtained from King Henry II about 1195, all the lands called Maghery-Gallen and his son, Jocelyn received Ardbraccan and Navan. He became the Baron Navan. Gilbert's second son, Peter Peppard, became Justiciary of Ireland, the first to be sire named Peppard. Peter's grandson Ralph, founded St. Mary's Abbey in Ardee. Early History of the Pepe familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pepe research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1695 is included under the topic Early Pepe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Pepe Spelling VariationsDuring the lifetime of an individual person, his name was often spelt by church officials and medieval scribes the way it sounded. An examination of the many different origins of each name has revealed many spelling variations for the name: Peppard, Pepard, Pappard, DePappard, Pepperd, Peperd and many more. Early Notables of the Pepe familyMore information is included under the topic Early Pepe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Pepe RankingIn the United States, the name Pepe is the 7,464th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Pepe is ranked the 8,101st most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2
 Pepe migration to the United States | + |
In the mid-19th century, Ireland experienced one of the worst periods in its entire history. During this decade in order to ease the pressure of the soil, which was actually depleted by the effects of the previous years' grain crops, landowners forced tenant farmers and peasants onto tiny plots of land that barely provided the basic sustenance a family required. Conditions were worsened, though, by the population of the country, which was growing fast to roughly eight million. So when the Great Potato Famine of the mid-1840s hit, starvation and diseases decimated the population. Thousands of Irish families left the country for British North America and the United States. The new immigrants were often accommodated either in the opening western frontiers or as cheap unskilled labor in the established centers. In early passenger and immigration lists there are many immigrants bearing the name Pepe:
Pepe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- W Pepe, who arrived in North America in 1832-1849 3
| Contemporary Notables of the name Pepe (post 1700) | + |
- Philip Francis Pepe (1935-2015), American baseball writer and radio announcer
- Joseph M. Pepe, American Republican politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Bronx County 2nd District, 1925 4
- Frank H. Pepe, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Derby; Elected 1946, 1948 4
- Bartolomeo Pepe (1962-2021), Italian politician from Naples, Member of the Senate of the Republic of Italy (2013-2018)
- Guglielmo Pepe, French Lieutenant General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 5
- Pepe Domingo Castaño (1943-2023), Spanish radio and television presenter, singer and writer
- Pepe el Ferreiro (1942-2020), Spanish archaeologist, born in Grandas de Salime, Asturias
- Pepe Escobar (b. 1954), Brazilian investigative journalist
- Pepe Hern (1927-2009), stage name of José "Pepe" Hernández Bethencourt, an American actor who played supporting roles in nearly 50 films, brother of actor Tom Hernández
- Pepe Tijerina (b. 1962), American professional baseball player
| Historic Events for the Pepe family | + |
Triangle Waist Company - Miss Pauline Pepe, American worker who was at Triangle Waist Company factory at the Asch building in Greenwich Village on the 25th March 1911 when fire broke out; she survived the fire 6
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Virtute et valore
Motto Translation: By virtue and valour
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, August 12) Guglielmo Pepe. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
- Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (retrieved on 3rd August 2021.) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire
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Pepe migration to the United States 
Ireland
England
