Show ContentsMapps Surname History

The surname Mapps was a baptismal name derived from 'the son of Mabel.'

Early Origins of the Mapps family

The surname Mapps was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced as John Mabson in the 13th century [1] when they held estates in that shire.

Early History of the Mapps family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mapps research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1390, 1455, 1487 and 1494 are included under the topic Early Mapps History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mapps Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Mapps has been spelled many different ways, including Mabson, Mapson, Mabotson, Mabbeson, Mabuisson, Mabbson, Mabbison and many more.

Early Notables of the Mapps family

More information is included under the topic Early Mapps Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Mapps migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Mappss to arrive in North America:

Mapps Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Robert Mapps, who landed in Virginia in 1652 [2]

Australia Mapps migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Mapps Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Henry Mapps, (b. 1820), aged 24, English farm labourer who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 9th May 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [3]


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa


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