Peppi
A hypocoristic of the names Petra or Joseph of Italian origin.
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Peppi. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 72.2% of registrations being female. The average person named Peppi today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Peppi births was 1965 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Peppi. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Peppi is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Peppis were born before 1969.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Peppi. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1965
7 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
1957 SSA rank
#4,410
Tracked since 1957
Gender
Gender distribution for Peppi
Peppi is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 18 total registrations, 5 (27.8%) were male and 13 (72.2%) were female.
Peppi as a male name
- Ranked #4,410 in 1957
- 5 male births in 1957
- Peak: 1957 (5 births)
Peppi as a female name
- Ranked #5,658 in 1965
- 7 female births in 1965
- Peak: 1965 (7 births)
Popularity
Peppi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Peppi from the 1950s through to the 1960s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 13 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Peppi by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Peppi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Peppi
The name Peppi is believed to have originated from the Italian language, deriving from the diminutive form of the name Giuseppe, which is the Italian equivalent of the name Joseph. The name Giuseppe itself has Hebrew roots, stemming from the Hebrew name Yosef, which means "he will add" or "he will increase."
Peppi is thought to have been in use as early as the Middle Ages in various parts of Italy, particularly in regions like Tuscany and Umbria, where diminutive forms of names were commonly used as affectionate nicknames or pet names.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Peppi can be found in a 14th-century Florentine document, where a man named Peppi di Giovanni is mentioned. However, it's difficult to ascertain whether this was his given name or a diminutive form used for a different name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Peppi. One such figure is Peppi Franzelin (1816-1886), an Italian Catholic theologian and cardinal who served as the Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Studies and played a crucial role in the First Vatican Council.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Peppi Merisio (1899-1988), an Italian stage and film actress who appeared in numerous productions during the golden age of Italian cinema in the 1930s and 1940s.
In the world of sports, Peppi Zengeni (1951-2018) was a Zimbabwean cricketer who played test cricket for the Zimbabwean national team and was known for his outstanding batting abilities.
Peppi Lambiasi (1957-2019) was an Italian-American actor and comedian, best known for his roles in various television series and films, including "The Sopranos" and "Goodfellas."
Lastly, Peppi Marinetti (1913-2009) was an Italian feminist and activist who played a significant role in the women's rights movement in Italy during the latter half of the 20th century.
While the name Peppi is not as common in modern times, it remains a part of Italian cultural heritage and serves as a reminder of the rich history and linguistic traditions that have shaped the development of names and their meanings over centuries.
People
Peppi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Peppi as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Peppi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Peppi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Peppi going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Peppi a common name?
We classify Peppi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 18 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Peppi most popular?
The single biggest year for Peppi was 1965, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Peppi is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Peppi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Peppi a female name?
Yes, 72.2% of people registered as Peppi in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Peppi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Peppi in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Peppi can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Peppi as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.