Peverell

One of the older place names in Plymouth, Peverell was originally once part of Weston an ancient manor which in the thirteenth century passed into the hands of a family descended from William Peverel, the illegitimate son of William the Conqueror.

Peverell itself appears to have been an old Norman nickname, probably meaning peppercorn, as in the sense of a small amount, hence, perhaps, a small person. In the Domesday Book it is spelt Piperellus and said to be a corruption of Peurulus, which is almost identical with the Latin, Puererellus, which translates literally as Littleboys.

Other suggestions based on the pepper element however suggest that the nickname may have been applied to a man of darkish complexion or hair, or a small man with a "fiery peppery temper".