Show ContentsSapp History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Sapp came from Sabinus and Sabine; these are the masculine and feminine forms of the name, respectively. The personal name is derived from the Sabines, a people who lived in the Appenines northwest of Rome. By the third century BC the Sabines had become fully Romanized. There were three saints named Sabinus and one named Sabine. "In England, the woman's name was much the more common." 1

Another source confirms that the name was "originally Sabinus, a Roman personal name, implying a descent from the Sabine nation. Sabina, its feminine, is still used as a baptismal name." 2

And another source has a slightly different version, "A statue of 'Sabinus, planter of the vines' (the supposed eponymous of the Sabines), was among those remarked by Æneas when he entered the palace of Latinus." 3

Early Origins of the Sapp family

The surname Sapp was first found in Norfolk where the first record of the name was in the Latin form Sabina (1186-1210) and then later in the Curia Regis Rolls for Kent and Surrey in 1220. Later in Huntingdonshire, Rogerus filius Sabini was registered there in 1252. Richard Sabin was found in the Assize Rolls for Warwickshire in 1221 and John Sabine was recorded in the Hundredorum Rolls for Cheshire in 1279. 1

The same rolls also included Alexander Sabine in Essex. 4

In Somerset, ancient English rolls listed Sabyna Vesy and William Sabin, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign). 5

Laurence William Savona (fl. 1485), was a Franciscan of London who graduated D.D. at Cambridge, where in 1478 he wrote his 'Margarita Eloquentiae' in three books. 6

Early History of the Sapp family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sapp research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1662, 1689, 1691, 1695, 1704, 1730, 1739, 1758 and 1791 are included under the topic Early Sapp History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sapp Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Sapp has been recorded under many different variations, including Sabine, Sabbe, Sabin, Sabyn, Sabben, Saban and many more.

Early Notables of the Sapp family

Notables of the family at this time include General Joseph Sabine (c. 1662-1739), British Army officer who came of a family settled at Patricksbourne in Kent; his grandfather, Avery Sabine, was an alderman of Canterbury. Joseph was appointed captain lieutenant to Sir Henry Ingoldsby's regiment of foot on 8 March 1689, captain of the grenadier company before 18 Oct. 1689, major of...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sapp Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sapp Ranking

In the United States, the name Sapp is the 1,693rd most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 7


United States Sapp migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Sapp or a variant listed above:

Sapp Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Hannes Sapp, who landed in North Carolina in 1763 8
Sapp Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Leonard Sapp, who arrived in America in 1886 8
Sapp Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Cora Sapp, aged 50, who landed in America, in 1910
  • William E. Sapp, aged 51, who immigrated to the United States, in 1910
  • Fred Sapp, aged 56, who landed in America, in 1914
  • William A. Sapp, aged 21, who settled in America, in 1917
  • Geo Sapp, who settled in America, in 1918
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Sapp migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sapp Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Mahoud Sapp, aged 20, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1912

Contemporary Notables of the name Sapp (post 1700) +

  • William Robinson Sapp (1804-1875), American politician, Representative from Ohio 15th District, 1853-57; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1856
  • William Fletcher Sapp (1824-1890), American Republican politician, U.S. Attorney for Iowa, 1869-73; Member of Iowa State Legislature; U.S. Representative from Iowa 8th District, 1877-81
  • William Frederick Sapp (1856-1917), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Kansas, 1894; Kansas Democratic State Chair, 1904-06; Member of Democratic National Committee from Kansas, 1912
  • Suejayne Sapp, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 2004
  • Stanley Sapp, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1944
  • Ruby Sapp, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 1996
  • R. A. Sapp, American politician, Mayor of Brunswick, Georgia, 1953
  • Odell Sapp, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Carolina, 1940
  • Kenneth M. Sapp, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Texas State House of Representatives 91st District, 2012
  • Joseph D. Sapp, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from South Carolina, 1964
  • ... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Sapp +

  • Early Families of Blount County, Alabama by Carolina Nigg.

  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  6. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. 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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