Peebles
A Scottish habitational surname taken from the town of Peebles in the Borders.
The #4,021 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 34,914 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Peebles is a place-name surname from the burgh of Peebles in southern Scotland. The historical forms point to an older Brittonic name, often explained from a word related to Welsh "pabell" and plural "pebyll," meaning "tent" or "pavilion." The later surname form reflects the Middle English/Scots plural ending -es added to the place-name.
History
The name is recorded in medieval Scottish sources and quickly became established as a local surname for people from the town or shire. It is especially associated with the Scottish Borders, where the place-name itself is ancient. The surname later spread beyond Scotland through migration and emigration, and it is now found in the wider English-speaking world.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The town name appears in the famous phrase "In Peblis toun," from the old poem often called The Thrie Priests of Peblis.
From the historical record
“William Pedman.—i'i>^-i2tfH,A.D. 1190. PEEBLES (Celt.) Bel. to Peebles, A.D. 1 126 Pebles [app. the Cymric pebyll, pi. of pabell, a. tent, pavilion + the M.E. pi. suff. -es'] ' In Peblis toun sumtyme, as I heard tell . . .'—The Thrie Priests of Peblis, 1.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Peebles
- Jim Peebles (b. 1935)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.