Show ContentsLappe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient and distinguished German surname Lappe is of two possible origins. Firstly, it is derived from the Middle High German word "lappe," meaning "dim, naive, simpleton." In this case, the name was probably initially bestowed as a nickname on someone who was thought to be a fool, or in an ironic way on someone very intelligent. Alternatively, the name may be derived from "Lauba," the name of a town near Saarbrücken, Rhineland.

Early Origins of the Lappe family

The surname Lappe was first found in Swabia, where it is thought to have first emerged. The earliest recorded bearer of the name was Johannes dictus (called) Lape, who was a monk living in the town of St. Trudbert in the Black Forest region of Swabia in 1267. The young Lappe family played a major role in the early history of the region, and contributed greatly to the development of medieval Swabian society.

Early History of the Lappe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lappe research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1267, 1434, 1440, 1566, 1582, 1663, 1773, 1842 and 1843 are included under the topic Early Lappe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lappe Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lapp, Lappe, Lape, Labbe and others.

Early Notables of the Lappe family

Notables with the surname Lappe during this period were

  • Dietrich Lappe von Köningenand (c.1434), a German knight, Johann Lappe (c.1566), a deacon, Nikodemus Lappe (1582-1663), a prominent priest, Karl Lappe (1773-1843), a Pomeranian writer, and Charles Lap...


United States Lappe migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lappe Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johannes Lappe, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 [1]
  • Heinrich Lappe, who arrived in America in 1778 [1]
Lappe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Christian Lappe, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 [1]
  • George Lappe, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 [1]
  • Martin Lappe, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 [1]
  • France Christian Lappe, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1867 [1]

Contemporary Notables of the name Lappe (post 1700) +

  • Gemze de Lappe (1922-2017), American dancer, awarded Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre in 2007 and the Martha Hill Dance Fund Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012
  • Rudolf Lappe (b. 1914), German prominent professor of physics


  1. 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)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook