Knapp Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Knapp last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Knapp last name
Meaning of the Knapp last name: hilltop, or young servant. Knapp is an English surname for someone who lived on a hilltop or knoll, from an Old English word for a summit, and some families take it from small places called Knapp. In Germany a separate last name Knapp meant a young servant or a miner's apprentice. A curious detail of this surname origin: the German word is the same one that became English "knave".
Arms associated with the Knapp name
In English heraldry a coat of arms belonged to one person at a time, so different Knapp lines used their own versions, each set out in a blazon, the formal heraldic description.
Get your full Knapp family history
This is only a glimpse of the Knapp story. The full Knapp 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 Knapp coat of arms. Get the full Knapp report.
Knapp name FAQ
What does the Knapp name mean?
Hilltop, or young servant. Common variants include Knap, Knappe, Napp.
Where does the Knapp surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Germany and Canada.
Is there a Knapp coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Knapp coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); Duden Familiennamen.