The surname Mapley was first found in Essex, where the name appeared in the 13th century. The name Mapley, like many surnames, was derived from a topographical feature of the family's dwelling place. In this case, it is likely the family lived near a group of maple trees. Another, somewhat less likely possibility is that the family took their name from their house sign; in early times, many houses and buildings were marked with a sign; it is possible that the family resided in a house marked with a sign bearing a maple tree.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mapley research. Another 53 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1285, 1327, 1348, 1635 and 1655 are included under the topic Early Mapley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations of this family name include: Maples, Mapel, Mapples, Maiples, Marples, Mapele and many more.
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mapley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: John Maple, who settled in Virginia in 1652; Tho Maple, who arrived in Virginia in 1657; Geo Maples, who came to Virginia in 1665; and Joseph Maples, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1837..