Contents [hide]

Apps History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Apps History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the Apps surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived near one or more notable aspen trees. The surname Apps is derived from the Old English word æpse, which means aspen. The surname may also be a nickname in jest, for a timid person, referring to the trembling leaves of the tree. 1

However, one source notes that name may be "a genitive form of Ape or Appe; a personal name, ante [(before)]1066 [and in the] Domesday Book. " 2

Early Origins of the Apps family

The surname Apps was first found in Huntingdonshire where the singular name Eppe was recorded c. 1250. A few years later, Roger Eppe was listed in Norfolk according to the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275. The name could have originated at Epps Farm in Bentley, Warwickshire. 3

Early History of the Apps family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Apps research. Another 185 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1307, 1327, 1524, 1534, 1604, 1628, 1658, 1779, 1787, 1805, 1815, 1823, 1833, 1845, 1869 and 1874 are included under the topic Early Apps History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Apps Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Apps include Apps, Apse, Abbs, Abb, App, Apsey, Epps, Ebbs, Epsey, Epp and many more.

Early Notables of the Apps family

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

Apps migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Apps Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edmond Apps, who landed in Virginia in 1650 4

Apps Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Apps, aged 27, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 4

Apps migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Apps Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Apps Jr., aged 19, who landed in Montreal in 1848

Apps migration to Australia +

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

Apps Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Apps, (b. 1817), aged 21, English sheep shearer from Wittersham, Kent, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maitland" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 6th November 1838 5
Mrs. Rebecca Apps, (b. 1819), aged 19, English outdoor worker from Wittersham, Kent, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maitland" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 6th November 1838 6
Mr. William Apps, (b. 1794), aged 44, English sheep shearer from Wittersham, Kent, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maitland" arriving in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia on 6th November 1838 7
Mrs. Ann Apps, (b. 1794), aged 44, English settler from Wittersham, Kent, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maitland" arriving in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia on 6th November 1838, she died at sea 8
Mr. John Apps, English convict who was convicted in Sussex, England for life , transported aboard the "China" on 7th January 1846, arriving in Norfolk Island, Australia 9

Apps migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Apps Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Robert Apps, aged 40, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rooparell" in 1874
Richard Apps, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waikato" in 1874
Ellen Apps, aged 23, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waikato" in 1874
Miss Mary G. Apps, (b. 1857), aged 26, Cornish general servant departing on 28th November 1883 aboard the ship "Bombay" going to Bluff or Otago, New Zealand arriving in port on 23rd January 1884 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Apps (post 1700) +

Charles Joseph Sylvanus "Syl" Apps CM (1915-1998), Canadian professional NHL hockey player, Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament in Ontario, inductee into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (1975); progenitor of the Apps family of professional hockey players
Syl Apps III (b. 1976), American ice hockey player, the grandson of Syl Apps
Edwin Apps (1931-2021), English television actor and writer who created and co-wrote the 1960s sitcom All Gas and Gaiters (1966–71)
Geoffrey Cleland Apps (b. 1949), English pioneer of mountain bikes
Greg Apps (b. 1955), Australian casting director, known for his work on Mission: Impossible II (2000), Knowing (2009) and Chopper (2000)
Roy Apps (b. 1951), British BAFTA award winning screenwriter, dramatist and children’s author
Deon Apps (b. 1987), Australian professional rugby league footballer who played for South Sydney in 2011
Sylvanus Marshall Apps Jr. (b. 1947), retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre, son of Syl Apps
William Alfred Apps (b. 1957), Canadian lawyer, businessman and prominent
Lieutenant Gordon Frank Mason Apps (1899-1931), British World War I flying ace credited with 10 aerial victories
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Apps Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: In Te Domine Speravi
Motto Translation: In thee, O Lord, I have placed my hope.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 11th July 2021). Retrieved from https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5313/4_4780/Maitland_5 Nov 1838/4_478000079.jpg&No=1
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 11th July 2021). Retrieved from https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5313/4_4780/Maitland_5 Nov 1838/4_478000079.jpg&No=2
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 11th July 2021). Retrieved from https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5313/4_4780/Maitland_5 Nov 1838/4_478000079.jpg&No=3
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 11th July 2021). Retrieved from https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5313/4_4780/Maitland_5 Nov 1838/4_478000079.jpg&No=4
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 5th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/china
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to other ports, 1872 - 84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf