Etymology

Unknown, but may be a dialectal form of dwarf.

May be a term coined by J. R. R. Tolkien http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien and/or his friends.

In The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Letters_of_J._R._R._Tolkien there is mention of T. W. Earp, “the original ‘twerp’”. Obviously, T. W. Earp's initials and surname could have given rise to the term. As far as can be told, the word came into use circa 1910 (according to Partridge's Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Partridge), which would be an appropriate time-period, if indeed Tolkien and/or his friends coined the term.

Another origin: 'twerp' was the name given to a type of racing pigeon flying between Antwerp & London, c.1870. The author, writing in 1965, states that the term was then about 100 years old. [Source: THE ODD FACTS OF LIFE by Bill Hooper, (New English Library), 1965].

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Noun

1. (British colloquial) A fool, a twit.

   Now you've broken it, you twerp!

2. (American colloquial) A small or puny person; one regarded as insignificant, contemptible.

   Get out of my way, you little twerp!

3. (American colloquial) A person who can be bullied playfully, or easily teased. Sometimes used as a pet-name (often for a younger sibling).