Zeppelin (surname)
# Zeppelin (surname)

The surname Zeppelin first appeared in a German document dated September 1286, indicating an origin in the town of Zepelin, which is now a municipality in the district of Rostock, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

In the Middle Ages, to be called von Zeppelin could mean simply "from Zeppelin". However, in later centuries the word "von" was added only as a nobiliary particle, indicating an ancestor who had been ennobled.

Zeppelin, originally a Slavic village spelled Cepelin [tsepelin], is named after the Cep, an ancient Slavic agricultural tool

## People

### Germany

* Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838–1917), a German general and later aircraft manufacturer, who founded the Zeppelin airship company.
* Eberhard von Zeppelin (1842-1906), was a German Historian and brother of Ferdinand von Zeppelin
* Ferdinand Ludwig von Zeppelin, was a German diplomat and politician
* Friedrich von Zeppelin, was a German court official
* Karl von Zeppelin, was a German diplomat and head of state
