Tippett
An English surname that most likely began as a pet or nickname form of Theobald, with some later confusion with related Tibbett forms.
The #7,644 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 71,074 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Historical surname writers usually connect Tippett with Theobald, a Germanic personal name meaning roughly “bold people” or “brave people.” In that view, Tippett is one of several shortened and softened nickname forms that also produced Tibbet(t), Tebbett, and similar spellings. Some older sources also allow influence from Isabella-based forms, but Theobald is the main explanation given most often.
History
The name appears in a number of variant spellings in English records, especially in southwestern and southern counties. Early surname dictionaries note families recorded as both Tippett and Tibbett, which shows how fluid the spelling was. The surname later spread to North America and elsewhere through English migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books group Tippett with a surprisingly large cluster of look-alike names, including Tebbutt, Tibbits, and even Twopotts, because medieval spelling could swing wildly from one record to the next.
From the historical record
“TIPPINS, Tippin's (Son) : v. TIppln. TIPPITT for TIppett, TIbbett, q.v. TIPPLE for Tibbie, q.v. TIPPLER = Tipler, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)