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![Show Contents]() Nappan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The ancient roots of the Nappan family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Nappan comes from when the family lived in Knapton, a place-name found in Yorkshire and in Norfolk. The place-name is derived from the Old English personal name Cnapa, and tun, an Old English word that means farm or enclosure. Later, tun came to mean village and then town, and is in fact the root of the Modern English word town. The name Cnapa means servant in the Old English. The place-name, therefore, means "farm belonging to Cnapa," or "the servants farmstead." 1 Early Origins of the Nappan familyThe surname Nappan was first found in Norfolk where the place was first listed in the Domesday Book as Kanapatone, part of the Greehoe hundred, land held by William de Warene. 2 At that time, it was one carucate of land and had 10 villans (peasants), 5 borders and 1 slave. As of 2001, the village and civil parish is home to 362 residents. Further north in Yorkshire, Knapton also dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Cnapeton and Cnapetone, land held by Ralph de Mortimer. Today the village and civil parish has a population of about 222 residing in 96 households. Early History of the Nappan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nappan research. Another 56 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1406, 1415, 1419, 1431, 1432, 1433, 1698, 1700, 1760 and 1778 are included under the topic Early Nappan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Nappan Spelling VariationsOne relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Nappan has appeared include Knapton, Napton, Knappen and others. Early Notables of the Nappan familyNotables of the family at this time include John Knapton (fl.1406-1433), an English politician, Member of the Parliament of England for Cambridge in 1406, 1415, 1419 and 1431 and Mayor of Cambridge (1432-1433.)
George Knapton (1698-1778)...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nappan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Nappan familyAt this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Nappan arrived in North America very early: Jane Knapton, who settled in Virginia in 1652; Joseph Knapton, who settled in Boston in 1716; and Robert Knapton, who settled in Virginia in 1754.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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