Origin of Lipp

Recorded as Lipp and the diminutives Lippett and Lippitt, this is an English surname of ancient origins. It derives from the pre 7th century word 'lippa' meaning lip, or possibly 'leppe' which is believed to be a form of the original 'leof,' meaning love. Various dictionaries descibe this surname as being a medieval nickname, presumably either for somebody with prominent lips, or perhaps using it in a transferred sense to describe a talker, one who gave it a lot of 'lip'. Given the famous robust humour of those far off times, either interpretation is possible as no doubt are others! What is byond argument is that in its various spellings this is one of the very first of all recorded surnames, and perhaps should be more popular than it is.

These early recordings include Aelfsinus Lippe who appears in the records known as the 'Old English Byenames' for the year 958 a.d. This was over a century before the Norman Conquest of 1066, from which date surnames are usually recorded. Other recordings from the medieval period include Roger Lippe of Hampshire in what are known as the Winton Rolls of 1148, whilst the diminutive first appears in Sussex in 1296 with the recording of William Lypet. The surname seems to be much associated with Sussex, and another early recording form the same county is that of Roger Lypat in the Subsidy Tax rolls of 1327.