Clapison History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Clapison

What does the name Clapison mean?

The name Clapison comes from a name for a person with large features or who was rather ungainly. The surname was originally derived from the Old English word clop, which literally means clump.

Early Origins of the Clapison family

The surname Clapison was first found in Oxfordshire where they held a family seat with estates in the shire. 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 is claimed to be descended from an ancient Danish noble who attended the court of King Canute, Osgod Clapa. Succeeding to this noble was Simon Clapp who is recorded in 1207 in Oxfordshire. The name is said, indirectly, to have lent its origin to many in the area such as Clapton, Clapham and Clapshaw.

Early History of the Clapison family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clapison research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1207, 1273, 1455, 1487, 1808, 1847, 1854, 1861 and 1866 are included under the topic Early Clapison History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clapison 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 Clapison include Clapson, Clappson, Clappison, Clappeson, Clapison, Clapeson and many more.

Early Notables of the Clapison family

Antoine Louis Clappisson, born at Naples Sept. 15, 1808, died at Paris March 19, 1866, a good violin-player before becoming a composer, and published a great many romances and songs, which exhibit an easy vein of melody. Clapisson was made Chevalier de la Légion...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Clapison Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Clapison family

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 Clapison or a variant listed above: James Clapson arrived in America in 1885 amongst many others.