| ![Show Contents]() Rapier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England The Anglo-Saxon name Rapier comes from when its first bearer worked as a rope-maker. Occupational names that were derived from the common trades of the medieval era transcended European cultural and linguistic boundaries. Occupational names have remained fairly commonplace in the modern period. This is attested to by the continuing appearance of occupational suffixes at the end of many English surnames. Some of these suffixes include: herd, monger, maker, hewer, smith and wright. Early Origins of the Rapier familyThe surname Rapier was first found in Sussex where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the census rolls taken by the ancient Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects. Early History of the Rapier familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rapier research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rapier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Rapier Spelling VariationsUntil 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 Rapier include Raper, Wraper, Rapper, Rapier and others. Early Notables of the Rapier familyMore information is included under the topic Early Rapier Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Rapier RankingIn the United States, the name Rapier is the 15,695th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]
 Rapier migration to the United States | + |
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 Rapier or a variant listed above:
Rapier Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Richard Rapier, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 [2]
- George Rapier, who arrived in Maryland in 1658 [2]
Rapier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- John Rapier, who landed in Virginia in 1701 [2]
| Contemporary Notables of the name Rapier (post 1700) | + |
- George M. Rapier III M.D., American Chairman and CEO of WellMed Medical Management, Inc
- John Lawrence Rapier (1842-1905), American Civil War soldier and businessman, owner of the Mobile Register
- James Thomas Rapier (1837-1883), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 2nd district (1873 to 1875)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
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Rapier migration to the United States 
