Kaplan Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Kaplan last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Kaplan last name
Meaning of the Kaplan last name: priest. Kaplan is a Jewish surname from Poland and nearby lands, from the Polish word kapłan, "priest". Families descended from the Kohanim, the hereditary priests of ancient Israel, often chose it as a local form of Cohen, and the last name spread with emigration to America. In Turkey Kaplan is a separate name meaning tiger.
Arms associated with the Kaplan name
Coats of arms associated with the Kaplan name follow the Central European heraldic style, each with a short blazon.
Get your full Kaplan family history
This is only a glimpse of the Kaplan story. The full Kaplan history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Kaplan coat of arms. Get the full Kaplan report.
Kaplan name FAQ
What does the Kaplan name mean?
Priest. Common variants include Caplan, Kaplun.
Where does the Kaplan surname come from?
It originates in Poland, and is also found in the United States, Israel and Turkey.
Is there a Kaplan coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Kaplan coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).