# Croatian (BCS): Pepić (Pepich)



## ekhlewagastiR

Hello everybody!
I know one surname which certainly sounds Serbian (although I’m not sure at 100%, anyway it’s from the Eastern Europe), I wonder if somebody by chance could help me with its real origin and significance. The surname is Pepich. Has it something with “ashes” to do or not? 
Thank you all in advance


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## Thomas1

ekhlewagastiR said:
			
		

> Hello everybody!
> I know one surname which certainly sounds Serbian (although I’m not sure at 100%, anyway it’s from the Eastern Europe), I wonder if somebody by chance could help me with its real origin and significance. The surname is Pepich. Has it something with “ashes” to do or not?
> Thank you all in advance


If it sounds Serbian to you then it origins from Southern Europe but if you're sure it's from Eastern Europe then it's origin should be very close to your country. 

I found in one dictionary of Polish language this word and it says it means someone who is reticent, untalkative (I didn't know this word and probably most Polish people don't as it's a slang of pupils).

Tom


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## b_fly

ekhlewagastiR said:
			
		

> Hello everybody!
> I know one surname which certainly sounds Serbian (although I’m not sure at 100%, anyway it’s from the Eastern Europe), I wonder if somebody by chance could help me with its real origin and significance. The surname is Pepich. Has it something with “ashes” to do or not?
> Thank you all in advance


 
*Two of my friends have that surname. (they are sisters, of course)  *

*They are from Crikvenica (Croatia), but they were born in Brčko (Bosnia and Herzegovina).*


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## ekhlewagastiR

Thomas1 said:
			
		

> If it sounds Serbian to you then it origins from Southern Europe but if you're sure it's from Eastern Europe then it's origin should be very close to your country.
> 
> I found in one dictionary of Polish language this word and it says it means someone who is reticent, untalkative (I didn't know this word and probably most Polish people don't as it's a slang of pupils).
> 
> Tom


 
Thank you Tom for reply.
Really I´m not sure about its origin etc that´s why I was wondering.. The Internet search shows that there persons with this surname in Slovakia, Croatia, HUngary, Canada, US and so on and so on..


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## ekhlewagastiR

b_fly said:
			
		

> *Two of my friends have that surname. (they are sisters, of course)  *
> 
> *They are from Crikvenica (Croatia), but they were born in Brčko (Bosnia and Herzegovina).*


 
the fact is that it´s my surname too 
that´s why I´m curious
I was born in Russia, my grand and grandgrandfather in Ukraine but this surname doesn´t sound very Ukranian to me, I think it has its rooths in some other Slavic country.
thank you for your answer


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## Jana337

ekhlewagastiR said:
			
		

> the fact is that it´s my surname too
> that´s why I´m curious
> I was born in Russia, my grand and grandgrandfather in Ukraine but this surname doesn´t sound very Ukranian to me, I think it has its rooths in some other Slavic country.
> thank you for your answer


Is the "ch" the Slavic one, or like in chair?


Jana


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## ekhlewagastiR

Jana337 said:
			
		

> Is the "ch" the Slavic one, or like in chair?
> 
> 
> Jana


 
you mean pronunciation, at least in my case yes (like in chair), it's the Russian letter "ч"

what I have found today is:
The South Slavic surname affix *-ic'/*-vic', -ovic' (pron. ovich) means
*'son of'*. 

c is pronounced as " ts " in English word tse-tse
c' pronounced as " ch " in English word ch-eap. 
 
The angular c' is used when c is the last letter in a Croatian surname.

So Pepich is probably Pepic' (Pepich)


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## Seana

Hi,

It is so easy. Isn't it after all Pepik = Pepic-- Czech diminutive from Joseph?

BTW To be honest in Poland we called that very often Czech citisens in joke of course, like Wanya for Russian, Jhon for Englishman or Hans for Germans.

It isn't probably very offensive, is it?


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## Jana337

Seana said:
			
		

> Hi,
> 
> It is so easy. Isn't it after all Pepik = Pepic-- Czech diminutive from Joseph?
> 
> BTW To be honest in Poland we called that very often Czech citisens in joke of course, like Wanya for Russian, Jhon for Englishman or Hans for Germans.
> 
> It isn't probably very offensive, is it?


 No, it is not. Definitely not more than calling all Poles Antek.  (We've had a thread about it).

The Czech diminutive is Pepík, and a diminutive of this diminutive is Pepíček. But it does not sound Czech without -ek.

Jana


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## Seana

Look Jana, I found this

Pepik


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## ekhlewagastiR

I´m not at all sure but one diccionary saying that "pepeo" in Croatian means "ashes" and "ich" - "son of" makes me think that the surname means something like "son of ashes"... probably it´s not at all so...


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## cajzl

PEPEO came from PEPEL with L at the end (in Czech it is POPEL), the genitive case is PEPELA.

So the derived surname would have to be PEPELIĆ, PEPELOVIĆ and not PEPIĆ.


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## Maja

Well if the last name is pronounced as Pepić (Пепић), then it can be Serbian, Croatian, Montenegrin and Bosnian. Ending -ić (-ић) is usually the form of last names in these parts. Even some people in Bosnia (now called Bosniaks) after converting to Islam during the Ottoman rule kept the original last names of their families with -ić ending.
However, I don't know any Serb with such a  last name (which doesn't prove there aren't any!).

If it is pronounced Pepič  (Пепич) then it can be Russian.

When it comes to the word "pepeo/пепео",  it does means "ashes" in Serbian as well as Croatian.


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## ekhlewagastiR

thank you, Maja


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## Suane

All I can say is that it is not a Slovakian surname. ( I guess it is from south-Slavic countries, also according to google).
http://www.judo.sk/judo/view.php?cisloclanku=2006041705


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## ekhlewagastiR

thank you, Suane, I think it too


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## cajzl

There are some Pepichs in the Czech lands, e.g. former Czechoslovak general Egid Pepich. But we pronounce it: *пэпых*.

The Slavic surnames ending in -*ых/-ych/-ih* are the genitive plural forms of adjectives, e.g. Černych, Bělych, ...


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## ekhlewagastiR

cajzl said:
			
		

> There are some Pepichs in the Czech lands, e.g. former Czechoslovak general Egid Pepich. But we pronounce it: *пэпых*.
> 
> The Slavic surnames ending in -*ых/-ych/-ih* are the genitive plural forms of adjectives, e.g. Černych, Bělych, ...


 
thank you cajzl for your reply.

this difference in pronunciation makes me think that in my partucular case it´s from south-Slavic countries (Serbian, Croatian, Montenegrin and Bosnian) because it´s pronounced like their ć (English ch) and not (g/k)h like in other countries.

the user b_fly also mentioned two friends of hers with the same surname from Croatia. Actually, Google shows persons Pepich from all over the world, in USA and Canada also (due to immigrations, of course).

anyway, the original root and significance of this surname probably is the same, just took later this difference in pronunciation. but I´m not at all expert in this matter.

it was very interesting information about Černych and Bělych, thank you


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## b_fly

Maja said:
			
		

> Well if the last name is pronounced as Pepić (Пепић), then it can be Serbian, Croatian, Montenegrin and Bosnian. Ending -ić (-ић) is usually the form of last names in these parts. Even some people in Bosnia (now called Bosniaks) after converting to Islam during the Ottoman rule kept the original last names of their families with -ić ending.





			
				Maja said:
			
		

> However, I don't know any Serb with such a last name (which doesn't prove there aren't any!).
> 
> If it is pronounced Pepič (Пепич) then it can be Russian.
> 
> When it comes to the word "pepeo/пепео", it does means "ashes" in Serbian as well as Croatian.


Pepeo means ashes, but I think that it doesn't have anything with surname Pepić.

It's true that Bosniaks (Muslims) have surnames with –ić, but this one really doesn't sound like that. Their surnames are, I don't know how to explain it, different in some way. I don't think that any Muslim has surname – Pepić.

In the Pepić family which I know, all of members are Catholic, so I think it's Croatian surname. But they are from Brčko, and that's a place in Bosnia, where live Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs. (It's like that in all of Bosnia, but in Brčko especially.)

I'll ask them if they know origin of their surname!!


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## ekhlewagastiR

b_fly said:
			
		

> I'll ask them if they know origin of their surname!!




It would be very kind of you if you could do it.
thank you for your reply
best regards,
ekhlewagastiR


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## Maja

b_fly said:
			
		

> It's true that Bosniaks (Muslims) have surnames with –ić, but this one really doesn't sound like that. Their surnames are, I don't know how to explain it, different in some way. I don't think that any Muslim has surname – Pepić.


 Off topic, but, I agree that Muslim surnames are easily distinguished. However, there are some which they kept even after converting. 
Like surname Milović (Миловић). I know it is а Serbian last name (in Herzegovina and Montenegro usually), but I was really surprised when I found out that there are Muslims and Croats with the same last name?! 

As to Pepić, I think it is most likely  Croatian!

Pozdrav!


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## b_fly

Well, I found out that nobody in her family don't know which is the origin of their surname.  
But, somebody told her that it's probably Dalmatian (Croatian).


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## ekhlewagastiR

b_fly said:
			
		

> Well, I found out that nobody in her family don't know which is the origin of their surname.
> But, somebody told her that it's probably Dalmatian (Croatian).


 
thank you, b_fly


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