Lapp History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The surname Lapp and it's variations have long been in England. It is thought that the name may have come to Britain with the Anglo-Saxons, as a German version of this name exists to this day. In other cases, the name may have derived from the French 'lapin," meaning "rabbit," and arrived in Britain with the Normans. 1
Early Origins of the Lapp family
The surname Lapp was first found in Wiltshire 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 in the 13th century when they held lands. Early instances of the name in England include one Robert Lapyn who is mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Kent in the year 1320. 1
Early History of the Lapp family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lapp research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Lapp History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Lapp Spelling Variations
Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Lapp include Lapp, Leap, Lap and others.
Early Notables of the Lapp family
Distinguished members of the family include
- the Lapp family of Wiltshire
Lapp Ranking
In the United States, the name Lapp is the 6,310th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2
Lapp migration to the United States +
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Lapp or a variant listed above:
Lapp Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Agness Lapp, who arrived in New York in 1709-1710 3
- John Gee Lapp, who arrived in South Carolina in 1749 3
- Georg Lapp, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 3
- Johann Jacob Lapp, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 3
- Johannes Lapp, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1751 3
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Lapp Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Joh Henr Lapp, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1800 3
- George Lapp, who arrived in Indiana in 1852 3
- Joh Heinr Lapp, who landed in America in 1854 3
- Jacob Lapp, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 3
- Adam Lapp, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1878 3
Lapp migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Lapp Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Mr. Jeremiah Lapp U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 4
Lapp Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Anthony Lapp, who is on record in Ontario in 1825
Lapp 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:
Lapp Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Henry Lapp, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edwin Fox" in 1875
Contemporary Notables of the name Lapp (post 1700) +
- Claude Jerome Lapp (b. 1892), American physicist and professor
- John Augustus Lapp (b. 1880), American publicist and author
- Jack Lapp (1884-1920), American professional baseball player
- Anna Lapp (b. 1908), German association official from the Baltic region
- Adolf Lapp (b. 1888), German well-known writer
Citations +
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X