Pepe (Spanish)
Where does "Pepe" come from?
The name Pepe originated as a playful reduplication of the final syllable of the older Spanish name Josépe, which was itself a variant of José. This affectionate shortening evolved into a popular independent nickname, capturing the evolution of naming conventions from formal roots to familiar, rhythmic shorthand.
Full etymology tree
- Pepe (Spanish), 'a diminutive of the male given names Josépe or Joséfe, variant of José'
- derived José (Spanish), 'a male given name from Latin [in turn from Ancient Greek, in turn from Hebrew], feminine equivalent Josefa, equivalent to English Joseph; diminutive forms Che, Coché, Josecito, Joselito, Pepe, Pepito'
- inherited Josep (Old Spanish)
- inherited Iōsēphus (Latin), 'a male given name, equivalent to English Joseph'
- inherited Ἰωσήφ (Iōsḗph) (Ancient Greek), 'Joseph'
- inherited יוסף (yôsēp̄) (Hebrew), 'Joseph (eleventh and favorite son of Jacob, by his wife Rachel)'
- inherited Ἰωσήφ (Iōsḗph) (Ancient Greek), 'Joseph'
- inherited Iōsēphus (Latin), 'a male given name, equivalent to English Joseph'
- inherited Josep (Old Spanish)
- derived José (Spanish), 'a male given name from Latin [in turn from Ancient Greek, in turn from Hebrew], feminine equivalent Josefa, equivalent to English Joseph; diminutive forms Che, Coché, Josecito, Joselito, Pepe, Pepito'
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris