KNAPP

Knapp is a surname of both English and German provenance, traditionally situated within the British Isles and predominantly occurring in England. The name is recorded as referring to a Christian family of English origin and is categorised as a locational or geographical feature surname.

In German, Knapp derives from the Middle High German word knapp, meaning a servant or helper. In Old English the word cnaep signifies a top or summit, suggesting that bearers of the name may have lived near a hilltop or prominent elevation. These two independent linguistic streams provide the principal etymological explanations for the surname.

Topographical evidence for the English derivation is found in place‑names. Several villages in Devon, Hampshire and Surrey bear the appellation Knapp, which originates from the Old English pre‑7th century word cnoepp, also meaning hilltop. The surname was therefore originally assigned to a dwelling on such a hill or to the lord of the manor, as illustrated by the medieval record of Henry de Cnappe in the Pipe Rolls of Devonshire in 1301.

Alternative spellings of the name include Knapp, Napp, Knappe, Knappen, Knapman and Napman, reflecting regional pronunciation and orthographic variation over centuries.

A second line of derivation treats Knapp as a status name. Here the term originates either from the German Knappe or from Old English Cnapa, denoting a boy or servant. This usage implies a social role rather than a geographic one, linking the name to small or junior servants of a household.

Recorded bearers of the surname appear from the early fourteenth century. The earliest example is William atte Kneppe, whose name is preserved in the 1294 Pipe Rolls of Surrey, during the reign of Edward I. Subsequent notable figures include Elizabeth Knapman, who married Richard Hill in St Michael’s Cornhill, London, on 2 February 1648; William Knapp (1678–1768), a composer who in 1738 published *A Set of New Psalm Tunes and Anthems*; and John Leonard Knapp (1767–1845), a botanist best known for his 1804 work *Gramina Britannica or Representations of British grasses*.

A family of Knapp origin based in Tuddenham, Norfolk was granted a coat of arms. The blazon describes a gold shield bearing three closed helmets in chief and, in base, a lion passant of the gold colour. The grant of arms, alongside the earliest surname spelling, confirms the long-standing presence of the family within the English gentry.

Typical given names associated with the Knapp surname

Male

• Andrew
• Christopher
• David
• James
• John
• Michael
• Paul
• Peter
• Robert
• Stephen

Female

• Alison
• Angela
• Elizabeth
• Karen
• Lisa
• Margaret
• Mary
• Rebecca
• Sarah
• Susan
• Victoria

Similar and related surnames

Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.

How to communicate the surname Knapp in...

Braille

⠅⠝⠁⠏⠏

Morse

-.--..-.--..--.

Semaphore

Surname type: Location or geographical feature

Origin: English

Region of origin: British Isles

Country of origin: England

Religion of origin: Christian

Language of origin: English

Famous people named Knapp

• Alexis Knapp - American actress
• Sandra Knapp - Botanist
• Stefan Knapp - Polish artist (1921 to 1996)
• Tony Knapp - Football manager
• Terence Knapp - Actor (1932 to 2019)
• Jimmy Knapp - Trade unionist (1940 to 2001)
• Martin Knapp - Academic
• Peter Knapp - Rower
• John Knapp - Cricketer (1841 to 1881)
• George Knapp - Politician, died 1809 (1754 to 1809)

Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.

Your comments on the Knapp surname