From Guadalupe, meaning 'river of the wolf,' strongly associated with the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Lupe is the beloved short form of Guadalupe, a name of layered origins that sits at the intersection of Arabic geography, Nahuatl language, and Catholic devotion. The place name Guadalupe in Spain is thought to derive from the Arabic wādī al-lubb (river of the wolf, or possibly river of black stones), brought into the Iberian Peninsula during Moorish rule. When Spanish missionaries arrived in Mexico, they applied the name to the site of the famous 1531 apparitions of the Virgin Mary to the indigenous convert Juan Diego — and from that moment, Our Lady of Guadalupe became the most venerated religious figure in the Americas.
As a standalone given name, Lupe carries enormous cultural weight in Mexico and throughout the Latino world. It is one of those names that transcends gender — used for both women and men — and social class: it appears in the baptismal records of farmworkers and presidents alike. The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12th remains one of the most celebrated religious holidays in Mexico, and the name Lupe carries that communal warmth.
Among its notable bearers is Lupe Vélez, the vivacious Mexican actress who was one of Hollywood's biggest stars in the 1920s and 1930s, nicknamed "The Mexican Spitfire." In contemporary usage, Lupe has shed none of its cultural rootedness while gaining a cool, punchy energy that feels at home in both traditional households and urban creative scenes. The rapper Lupe Fiasco brought the name to younger American audiences. Short, emphatic, and unmistakably meaningful, Lupe is a name that knows exactly what it is.