NameCensus.

UK surname

Pepe

An Italian occupational surname referring to a seller of peppers or a grower of peppers.

In the 1881 census there were 12 people recorded with the Pepe surname, ranking it #31,914 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 195, ranked #19,921, up from #31,914 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mendip, Richmondshire and Barnet.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pepe is 195 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 1525.0%.

1881 census count

12

Ranked #31,914

Modern count

195

2016, ranked #19,921

Peak year

2016

195 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pepe had 12 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #31,914 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 195 in 2016, ranked #19,921.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 53 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Outer Suburbs.

Pepe surname distribution map

The map shows where the Pepe surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Pepe surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pepe over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 13 #30,970
1861 historical 53 #27,253
1881 historical 12 #31,914
1891 historical 24 #32,320
1901 historical 16 #32,260
1911 historical 12 #32,302
1997 modern 94 #27,781
1998 modern 101 #27,479
1999 modern 111 #26,182
2000 modern 112 #25,978
2001 modern 111 #25,767
2002 modern 106 #26,985
2003 modern 115 #25,538
2004 modern 115 #25,740
2005 modern 116 #25,564
2006 modern 114 #26,120
2007 modern 115 #26,348
2008 modern 119 #26,067
2009 modern 138 #24,276
2010 modern 153 #23,175
2011 modern 153 #22,996
2012 modern 157 #22,551
2013 modern 164 #22,236
2014 modern 180 #21,115
2015 modern 187 #20,502
2016 modern 195 #19,921

Geography

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Where Pepes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Mendip, Richmondshire, Barnet, St Albans and Walsall. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mendip 008 Mendip
2 Richmondshire 002 Richmondshire
3 Barnet 008 Barnet
4 St Albans 013 St Albans
5 Walsall 029 Walsall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pepe

These lists show first names that appear often with the Pepe surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pepe

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Pepe, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Outer Suburbs

Nationally, the Pepe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Outer Suburbs, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Pepe household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods are found on the outer edges of many towns and cities. Many residents were born outside the UK. Indian ethnic group representation is high. There are high numbers of families with dependent children aged 5 to 14. Incidences of disability and of provision of unpaid care are low. Neighbourhoods provide a mix of detached housing and flats, and terraced housing is not uncommon. Levels of overcrowding are low and homeownership rates are high. Professional and managerial occupations are prevalent: unemployment is low and education to degree level is the norm.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Pepe is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Pepe is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Pepe falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Pepe is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Other

This describes the area pattern most associated with Pepe, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Pepe

The surname PEPE is of Spanish origin, with its roots tracing back to the late medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula. The name likely derived from the personal name "Pepe," a diminutive form of the name "José," which itself originated from the Hebrew name "Joseph."

In its earliest forms, the surname PEPE was often spelled as "Pepes" or "Pepeš," reflecting the influence of the Castilian Spanish dialect in which it emerged. As the name spread across the Spanish-speaking world, various regional variations in spelling and pronunciation arose, including "Peppe" in some parts of Southern Italy.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the PEPE surname can be found in the Catalan region of Spain, where a certain "Pere Pepe" was documented in a land registry from the town of Girona, dated to the late 13th century. This suggests that the name had already gained prominence in parts of northeastern Spain by that time.

During the age of Spanish exploration and colonization in the 15th and 16th centuries, the PEPE surname likely traveled to the Americas and other Spanish territories, carried by settlers and adventurers from the Iberian homeland. Notable individuals bearing this name from this era include Juan Pepe de Escalante, a Spanish explorer who led expeditions to the Gulf of Mexico in the 1570s.

In the realm of literature, the PEPE surname made an appearance in the works of the celebrated Spanish playwright and poet, Lope de Vega (1562-1635), who included characters with this name in several of his plays and verse compositions.

Moving forward to the 18th century, the PEPE name can be traced to the life of José Pepe de Quintana (1712-1784), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Panama from 1771 to 1777.

In the 19th century, the PEPE surname gained further prominence with the birth of Gustavo Adolfo Pepe (1865-1923), a renowned Uruguayan painter and sculptor known for his contributions to the modernist art movement in South America.

As the 20th century dawned, the PEPE name continued to be associated with notable figures across various fields, such as Antonio Pepe (1897-1976), an Italian composer and conductor renowned for his operatic works, and Toni Pepe (1909-1991), an Italian footballer who played as a defender for several prestigious clubs in Italy and France.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pepe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pepe surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Essex leads with 6 Pepes recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.97x.

County Total Index
Essex 6 23.97x
Lancashire 4 2.66x
Norfolk 2 10.26x
Royal Navy 1 66.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Springfield in Essex leads with 6 Pepes recorded in 1881 and an index of 5454.55x.

Place Total Index
Springfield 6 5454.55x
Manchester 4 59.08x
Redenhall 2 2500.00x
Royal Navy 1 77.52x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Pepe surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Lydia 2
Amelia 1
Charlotte 1
Lucy 1
Martha 1
Rose 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Pepe surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Antonio 1
Arthur 1
Donata 1
Edwin 1
George 1
Guiseppe 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Pepe households.

FAQ

Pepe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pepe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 12 people were recorded with the Pepe surname. That placed it at #31,914 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pepe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 195 in 2016. That gives Pepe a modern rank of #19,921.

What does the Pepe surname mean?

An Italian occupational surname referring to a seller of peppers or a grower of peppers.

What does the Pepe map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Pepe bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.