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Pepe as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Pepe

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The baby name Pepe is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced Spanish: /ˈpe.pe/ (PEH-peh).

Pepe is Spanish in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Spanish
Pronunciation: Spanish: /ˈpe.pe/ (PEH-peh)

What is the meaning of the name Pepe ?

The baby name Pepe is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced Spanish: /ˈpe.pe/ (PEH-peh).

Pepe is Spanish in Origin.

Pepe is a Spanish and Portuguese hypocoristic of José, the local form of Joseph, ultimately from Hebrew Yosef meaning “he will add” or “increase.” Its rise is tied to devotion to Saint Joseph; a common Iberian explanation links it to clerical notes “P.P.” (Pater Putativus, ‘putative father’) read as Pepe, though likely a folk etymology. In Italian, related forms Peppe and Peppo derive from Giuseppe.

Widespread across Spain, Portugal, Latin America, and the diaspora, Pepe has served both as an affectionate nickname and as an independent given name since at least the nineteenth century. Common variants and diminutives include Pepito and Pepo (Spanish), Pep (Catalan, from Josep), and Italian Peppe, Peppino, and Beppe; parallel feminine forms from Josefa are Pepa and Pepita. In French, Pépé is a term for grandfather rather than a cognate. The name carries the enduring Joseph sense of increase, growth, and blessing.

Pepe has the following similar or variant Names

Pepe – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Germany Boys 2025 #1 — 423
HN 0 #22 1 704
BI Girls 0 #33 1 726
NA 0 #33 1 2,537
EE 0 #37 1 1,051
AZ 0 #43 1 706
BI Boys 0 #44 1 917
Spain Boys 0 #44 20,065 5,610
HN Boys 0 #52 1 749
CM 0 #54 3 2,592
PR 0 #54 2 1,497
LU 0 #65 2 2,830
AO 0 #74 4 2,729
MV Boys 0 #77 3 3,375
BG 0 #81 2 1,799
MX Boys 0 #85 11,655 16,355
CN 0 #86 1 3,857
EC 0 #88 28 2,502
JM 0 #93 1 3,714
Spain 0 #100 777 2,326
TW 0 #102 2 4,523
QA 0 #105 2 7,011
PH 0 #109 2 5,607
BN Girls 0 #114 1 5,459
HU 0 #115 1 1,675
OM 0 #121 1 6,215
CY Girls 0 #125 1 3,755
EC Boys 0 #125 159 3,322
EE Boys 0 #125 1 2,087
CY Boys 0 #131 1 3,473
PA 0 #133 6 3,797
GR 0 #135 1 3,911
Switzerland Boys 2024 #136 2 1,769
BN Boys 0 #136 4 6,332
MX 0 #143 376 8,339
PE Boys 0 #143 3,916 14,506
BW Girls 0 #148 4 4,216
BW Boys 0 #151 4 4,685
LT Boys 0 #151 1 2,166
PR Boys 0 #151 24 2,508
RS Boys 0 #154 1 2,277
UY Boys 0 #159 555 5,922
CR 0 #161 5 5,526
HU Boys 0 #162 13 3,954
CZ Boys 0 #164 176 6,530
AR Boys 0 #165 788 7,628
UY 0 #167 11 2,477
AR 0 #170 17 2,915
CZ 0 #173 13 3,154
MT Boys 0 #177 3 4,064
HR 0 #180 2 2,081
AE 0 #186 2 10,220
LU Girls 0 #190 1 4,850
CL Boys 0 #205 1,566 13,390
PE 0 #205 107 6,350
DK 0 #206 1 5,198
LU Boys 0 #209 10 4,970
SI Boys 0 #211 1 3,402
PL 0 #212 1 2,600
IR 0 #218 12 4,221
BG Boys 0 #219 2 3,850
PS 0 #225 2 5,692
AO Boys 0 #226 17 5,568
NA Boys 0 #226 10 6,830
BG Girls 0 #227 5 3,559
MO Boys 0 #232 3 5,842
NA Girls 0 #237 1 7,146
BD 0 #240 2 5,992
GR Girls 0 #245 5 6,293
GH 0 #246 3 5,396
PT 0 #247 4 4,161
BO Boys 0 #249 598 9,244
JP Girls 0 #251 1 6,592
TW Boys 0 #254 3 7,111
HR Boys 0 #255 5 3,997
EC Girls 0 #256 3 3,650
JM Boys 0 #263 10 6,876
GR Boys 0 #265 9 6,912
NG 0 #270 3 5,926
GT 0 #271 44 5,948
CO Boys 0 #274 1,820 15,656
BO 0 #275 107 6,868
GT Boys 0 #275 234 7,625
JP Boys 0 #276 22 7,909
JM Girls 0 #278 1 7,507
SG 0 #280 3 11,010
IL 0 #282 1 6,291
TW Girls 0 #286 4 8,139
HR Girls 0 #293 2 3,687
KZ Boys 0 #293 4 6,578
PT Boys 0 #293 76 7,951
France Boys 1971 #299 3 1,233
AL Boys 0 #300 4 5,122
CR Boys 0 #302 215 10,188
PL Boys 0 #304 32 6,459
CN Boys 0 #307 13 9,639
SA 0 #312 1 10,560
PA Boys 0 #315 183 9,305
GH Boys 0 #325 21 8,138
MU Boys 0 #328 30 8,477
DK Boys 0 #332 1 7,401
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
CL 0 #337 76 6,867
GH Girls 0 #337 1 6,973
Finland Boys 0 #339 89 2,041
JO Girls 0 #339 1 7,570
CZ Girls 0 #345 7 5,378
PH Boys 0 #349 35 11,440
MY 0 #354 1 12,352
BR 0 #355 6 5,969
CN Girls 0 #355 5 8,829
SD Girls 0 #355 4 7,678
HK 0 #357 1 8,483
PL Girls 0 #361 4 5,096
MU Girls 0 #362 1 8,539
IR Boys 0 #380 185 10,162
BD Girls 0 #404 3 8,413
EG 0 #412 1 6,387
Germany 0 #423 15 2,542
Austria Boys 0 #424 19 2,180
OM Girls 0 #424 1 15,987
PH Girls 0 #427 3 13,098
SD Boys 0 #432 14 10,523
CO 0 #457 24 7,768
ZA 0 #468 7 14,421
Spain Girls 0 #469 706 5,561
PT Girls 0 #469 3 7,952
UY Girls 0 #475 36 6,731
CM Boys 0 #489 62 12,054
RU Boys 0 #495 11 12,621
PA Girls 0 #510 9 9,861
RU Girls 0 #515 9 11,913
HK Boys 0 #517 11 12,905
IQ Girls 0 #519 7 11,303
CR Girls 0 #522 11 11,342
CM Girls 0 #531 10 11,671
GT Girls 0 #536 6 7,500
PS Boys 0 #536 13 10,655
IR Girls 0 #541 5 8,334
PS Girls 0 #546 2 10,981
LY 0 #552 8 12,703
KW Girls 0 #558 4 19,177
AR Girls 0 #560 40 8,289
BH 0 #584 4 17,937
Finland Boys 2026 #584 99 3,552
IL Boys 0 #594 14 10,983
AE Girls 0 #595 3 20,968
BO Girls 0 #597 15 9,488
BD Boys 0 #602 4 10,045
IN Girls 0 #618 14 13,121
SG Girls 0 #628 5 18,916
HK Girls 0 #642 9 16,104
IL Girls 0 #643 3 11,648
IQ Boys 0 #651 17 13,071
IT 0 #658 57 4,183
BR Boys 0 #683 69 12,213
SG Boys 0 #686 12 17,960
LB 0 #688 3 13,263
QA Boys 0 #698 10 18,093
Germany Boys 0 #701 260 5,697
IT Boys 0 #751 866 10,046
NG Girls 0 #751 36 15,093
KW Boys 0 #760 10 18,755
SY 0 #762 6 11,684
CL Girls 0 #785 67 14,098
United States Boys 2002 #797 5 6,872
Germany Girls 0 #812 27 4,949
TN 0 #813 17 13,765
NL Boys 0 #848 104 5,873
EG Boys 0 #852 35 15,035
NG Boys 0 #883 69 16,906
PE Girls 0 #889 55 14,861
OM Boys 0 #914 5 17,948
SA Girls 0 #924 12 25,931
BR Girls 0 #925 17 12,708
CO Girls 0 #939 140 16,140
EG Girls 0 #1,002 8 14,742
ZA Boys 0 #1,002 177 25,619
MX Girls 0 #1,003 181 17,781
MA 0 #1,010 119 20,986
IN Boys 0 #1,034 6 16,750
ZA Girls 0 #1,066 76 25,928
MY Girls 0 #1,071 2 24,821
AE Boys 0 #1,072 21 22,615
DZ 0 #1,086 91 20,130
MY Boys 0 #1,094 18 25,439
TR 0 #1,142 70 19,440
IT Girls 0 #1,276 171 9,415
SA Boys 0 #1,532 83 28,008

Pepe is popular in 84 countries — most recent births per country:

Switzerland
Germany
France
United States
AE

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People also ask about Pepe

Pepe is predominantly a boy's name.
Pepe is a 2 syllable name, pronounced Spanish: /ˈpe.pe/ (PEH-peh).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Pep, Pepito, Pepín, Pepi and Pépé.
Across languages, Pepe has these equivalents: José (Spanish), Joseph (English), Giuseppe (Italian), Yosef (Hebrew), Josef (German/Scandinavian), and 4 more.
Yes, very popular — Pepe ranked #1 in Germany in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 5 countries.
Pepe ranks highest in Germany (#1 in 2025).
Pepe's popularity is rising. It moved from #144 in 2014 to #136 in 2024 in Switzerland.