Why Is It Called a Surplice?.
The name surplice is believed to derive from a Medieval Latin word, “superpelliceum,” and may originally have been a garment that was worn over heavier fur cloaks or robes. The name “superpelliceum” itself means “over pelt,” or, colloquially, “over the furs.” Therefore, the original superpelliceum may have been a secular garment that was worn as an accessory to heavier winter garb. This is in common with many other clerical habiliments that likely have their origins in secular dress.
It is believed that the original surplices arose in either France or England and spread from thence elsewhere across continental Europe. It is possible that the first surplices were evolutions of a Celtic garment known as a Celtic Alb, which may have been common in the Gallican Rite in France.
Nonetheless, it is believed that the first surplices originated about 800 or 900 years ago in either England or France and the most likely theory is that they represent an evolution of the alb (see below).
