Show ContentsCarper History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Carper emerged in Pomerania, which was a territory of Germany and a maritime province of Prussia.

Early Origins of the Carper family

The surname Carper was first found in Pomerania, where the family gained a significant reputation for its contributions to the emerging mediaeval society. The name became prominent as many branches of the family founded separate houses and acquired estates in various regions, always elevating their social status by their great contributions to society. Individual bearers of the name first mentioned in ancient chronicles include one "Karpe von Rostock" (c.1257,) and the knight Emecho Karpe who was born in 1270 in Mainz.

Early History of the Carper family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Carper research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the year 1270 is included under the topic Early Carper History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carper Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Karp, Karpf, Karpe, Karpfen, Karpen, Carp, Carpf, Carpe, Carpfen, Carpen, Karpff, Karpffe, Karpffen, Carpff, Carpffe and many more.

Early Notables of the Carper family

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

Carper Ranking

In the United States, the name Carper is the 4,976th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Carper family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Fra Karp, who settled in Virginia in 1705; Peter Karp, whose Oath of Allegiance was recorded in Pennsylvania in 1768; Georg Andr Karpe, who came to New York, NY in 1854.


Contemporary Notables of the name Carper (post 1700) +

  • William C. Carper, American politician, Member of West Virginia State Senate 6th District, 1871-72
  • W. Grady Carper, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State Senate 10th District, 1972
  • Thomas Richard Carper (b. 1947), American Democratic Party politician, Served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War; Delaware State Treasurer, 1977-82; U.S. Representative from Delaware at-large, 1983-93; Governor of Delaware, 1993-2001;
  • S. V. Carper, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Roane County, 1913-14
  • George A. Carper, American Republican politician, Candidate for Missouri State House of Representatives from St. Louis City 4th District, 1942
  • Emory Carper, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Mexico, 1956 (alternate), 1960
  • Deborah Carper, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from West Virginia, 2008
  • Clay C. Carper, American Republican politician, Speaker of the Kansas State House of Representatives, 1941-42


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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