Lupe
Meaning
nickname for Guadalupe; a warm, standalone classic in its own right
The story
Lupe is the short, warm form of Guadalupe, the Spanish title of the Virgin whose tradition begins with apparitions to Juan Diego at Tepeyac in December 1531, celebrated every December 12. The place-name behind it is a linguistic handshake, Arabic wadi, valley or river, possibly joined to Latin lupus, wolf. As an American name it lived a full life in both columns of the ledger: 18,610 girls and 6,025 boys, three girls for every boy, with the busy decades running from the 1920s through the 1940s at more than 3,500 girls each. Lupe Vélez, born María Guadalupe, was Hollywood's Mexican Spitfire; Lupita Nyong'o, born in Mexico City, carried the diminutive to an Academy Award. Just 45 American babies took the name this decade so far. Some names retire; this one is on a pilgrimage between generations.
The formal names behind Lupe
Lupe is an established short form of this name.
Guadalupe · Spanish origin · from the valley of the wolf; honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of the most revered names across generations of Mexican-American Catholic families
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Lupe peaked in the 1910s and the 1970s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
63 people · the #56,841 first name in Brazil · median age 45
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Lupe
People given the name Lupe in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1940 to 1979. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Lupe deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Lupe truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Lupe fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Lupe travels
Samoan · dove, pigeon; a common given name
Keep exploring
Samoan baby names · Mexican American baby names · Short names · Gender-neutral names
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