Gapen Surname History

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The Gapen family comes from the ancient Scottish Dalriadan clans of the mountainous west coast of Scotland. The name Gapen is derived from the son of the blond one, or son of Alpin.

Early Origins of the Gapen family

The surname Gapen was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, where they were descended from King Kenneth MacAlpin who was murdered by the Picts near Dundee in the year 834. MacAlpin is generally considered to have been the first king to rule both Scots and Picts, and as such, was the first king of Scotland.

Further to the south, the variant Alby hailed from Alby, a parish, in the union of Aylsham, hundred of South Erpingham, E. division of Norfolk. "This place, which was anciently called Oslby, is intersected by the road from Aylsham to Cromer, and includes the hamlets of Alby Common and Alby Hill." 1

Early History of the Gapen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gapen research. Another 193 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1395, 1405, 1531, 1557, 1658, 1692 and 1725 are included under the topic Early Gapen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gapen Spelling Variations

Translation in medieval times was an undeveloped science and was often carried out without due care. For this reason, many early Scottish names appeared radically altered when written in English. The spelling variations of Gapen include MacAlpine, MacAlpin, MacAilpein (Gaelic) and others.

Early Notables of the Gapen family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was Sir John MacAlpin; John MacAlpine (Latin: Maccabeus) (died 1557), a Scottish Protestant theologian; and Joseph Capen (1658-1725), a Massachusetts clergyman who during...
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gapen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Gapen family to Ireland

Some of the Gapen family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gapen migration to the United States +

The hardy Scots who made the crossing settled all along the east coast of North America and in the great west that was just then opening up. At the time of the American War of Independence, many United Empire Loyalists moved north from the American colonies to Canada. Scottish national heritage became better known in North America in the 20th century through highland games and other patriotic events. An examination of immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Gapen arrived in North America very early:

Gapen Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Gapen, who landed in Georgia in 1735 2

Gapen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J L Gapen, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1856 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Gapen (post 1700) +

William E. Gapen, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1860 3
W. E. Gapen, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1880 3

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html