Show ContentsPaips History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The clans of the ancient Scottish Pictish tribe were the ancestors of the first person to use the name Paips. It was name for a confident or haughty person. Paips is a nickname surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Nicknames form a broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, and can refer directly or indirectly to one's personality, physical attributes, mannerisms, or even their habits of dress. The surname Paips comes from the Old English word pope, which referred to the Bishop of Rome, and the head of the Roman Catholic Church. Although this is also a title of office, as a surname, it was most often applied as a nickname. [1]

Early Origins of the Paips family

The surname Paips was first found in Elgin where "a family of Paips or Papes appear to have belonged originally, and some of them were in the legs profession before the Reformation. In Caithness, Sutherland, and Orkney, the surname is still pronounced Paip. In 1363 William Pop, son and heir of William Pop, burgess of Elgin, made a gift to the altar of the Virgin in the church of S. Giles in Elgin, and in 1375 there is mention of Robert Pop of Elgin. Adam Popp and Robertus Popp were jurors on an assize regarding the mill lands of Quarelwode in 1389." [2]

Early History of the Paips family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Paips research. Another 171 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1137, 1393, 1397, 1400, 1507, 1516, 1540, 1559, 1573, 1580, 1585, 1596, 1598, 1599, 1602, 1603, 1606, 1611, 1622, 1624, 1627, 1631, 1653, 1660, 1688, 1714, 1744 and 1782 are included under the topic Early Paips History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Paips 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, Paips has been spelled Pope, Paip, Pape, Paipe, Popp and others.

Early Notables of the Paips family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Thomas Pope (died 1400), from Gloucester, was an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Gloucester in 1393 and 1397; Sir Thomas Pope (1507-1559), English founder of Trinity College, Oxford, elder son of William Pope, a small landowner at Deddington, near Banbury; and Walter Pope (c. 1627-1714), an English astronomer and poet from Northamptonshire.Sir William Pope (1573-1631) of Wroxton Abbey, near Banbury, was...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Paips Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Paips family

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 Paips: Elizabeth Pope, who was on record in Virginia in 1621; Thomas Pope, on record in Virginia in 1623; George Pope, who came to Jamestown, VA in 1624; Anthony Pope, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1635.



  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. 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)


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