Weepers

This interesting surname is of Scots origin and is generally thought to be a locational name from Ypres in Belgium, although this is not proven. However, it may be an occupational name for a person employed to wipe something clean or dry, or put a shine on furniture, or in one of the many various industries, where this type of task would be needed. The derivation is from the Old English pre 7th Century "wipian", which corresponds to the Old High German "wifan", to wind round. In the modern idiom the name is spelt Wiper or Wipers, Wyper in Lanarkshire and West Lothian and Weepers in Fife. Among the sample recordings in Scotland is the marriage of one Peter Weepers and Ann Fife on December 7th 1771, and the christening of Robert Weepers on December 1st 1816, both at Dysart, Fife. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Wiper, which was dated 1202, Curia Rolls of Sussex, during the reign of King John, known as "Lackland", 1199 - 1216. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.