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![Show Contents]() Nappen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The Anglo-Saxon name Nappen comes from the family having resided 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 Nappen familyThe surname Nappen 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 Nappen familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nappen 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 Nappen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Nappen Spelling VariationsNappen has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Knapton, Napton, Knappen and others. Early Notables of the Nappen familyNotables 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 Nappen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Nappen familyIn an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Nappens to arrive on North American shores: 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.
- 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)
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