Nappant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Nappant name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in Knapton, a place-name found in Yorkshire and in Norfolk. The place-name is derived from the Old English personal name Cnapa, and tun, an Old English word that means farm or enclosure. Later, tun came to mean village and then town, and is in fact the root of the Modern English word town. The name Cnapa means servant in the Old English. The place-name, therefore, means "farm belonging to Cnapa," or "the servants farmstead." 1

Early Origins of the Nappant family

The surname Nappant was first found in Norfolk where the place was first listed in the Domesday Book as Kanapatone, part of the Greehoe hundred, land held by William de Warene. 2 At that time, it was one carucate of land and had 10 villans (peasants), 5 borders and 1 slave. As of 2001, the village and civil parish is home to 362 residents. Further north in Yorkshire, Knapton also dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Cnapeton and Cnapetone, land held by Ralph de Mortimer. Today the village and civil parish has a population of about 222 residing in 96 households.

Early History of the Nappant family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nappant research. Another 56 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1406, 1415, 1419, 1431, 1432, 1433, 1698, 1700, 1760 and 1778 are included under the topic Early Nappant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nappant Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Nappant has undergone many spelling variations, including Knapton, Napton, Knappen and others.

Early Notables of the Nappant family

Notables of the family at this time include John Knapton (fl.1406-1433), an English politician, Member of the Parliament of England for Cambridge in 1406, 1415, 1419 and 1431 and Mayor of Cambridge (1432-1433.) George Knapton (1698-1778)...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nappant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Nappant family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Nappant were among those contributors: Jane Knapton, who settled in Virginia in 1652; Joseph Knapton, who settled in Boston in 1716; and Robert Knapton, who settled in Virginia in 1754.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)