TOPP
The surname Topp is principally associated with England and Germany, with a presence in other parts of Europe and North America. In the UK it is found throughout the British Isles, mainly in England, and the prevailing language of its original bearers was English. In Germany it appears primarily in Westphalia and surrounding regions, and the linguistic heritage is Germanic.
In English the name derives from the Old English words top or toppe, meaning “summit” or “peak”. It was therefore commonly used as a topographic surname for a person living at the upper part of a hill or mountain. The existence of this name from the early twelfth and thirteenth centuries across almost all parts of England underscores its locational origin, although some early sources indicate a personal‑name derivation with Norse or Norman influence.
In German the surname is traced to the Middle High German word top, which means “drum” or “barrel”. It is taken to be an occupational name for a cooper or barrel‑maker. An additional Germanic sense of the word, found in Dutch and Scandinavian traditions, is the verb “to be over or above”, which may have served as a nickname for someone of a higher station or of greater height.
Documentary records show the surname in British documents from the early twelfth century. Examples include Robert Topi of Norfolk in 1200, Alan Tupe of Yorkshire in 1202, Robert Top of Somerset in 1273 and Henry Topp of Devon noted in the Oxford University Register for 1606/7. The very first recorded spelling appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where Aldene Tope is recorded for Lincolnshire under the reign of William the Conqueror. These records illustrate the range of spellings and regional adaptations that the family name acquired over several centuries.
The modern spellings of the name are numerous, reflecting variations in orthography across the different linguistic traditions. In English the name may appear as Top, Tophe, Topman, Tophill, Topping, Topliff or Topliss; in German as Töpf, Töpfer, Töpper, Töppich, Töppler or Toepfer; in Dutch as Toep, Toepel, Toepen, Toepjes, Toeppes or Toepstra; in Scandinavian usage it is found as Topholm, Toppen, Topper, Toppi or Toppan; and in French it is occasionally an Anglicised form of the surname Tot.
Contemporary statistical data indicate that the surname is most frequent in Germany, where it is borne by more than 7 000 individuals, and in the United States, where it has a population of just over 10 000. Canada has a notable concentration in British Columbia, with about 1 000 bearers in Vancouver alone. France records around four thousand individuals with the surname, and Australia is home to more than 1 200. These figures demonstrate the wide geographical spread that has evolved as families migrated during the twentieth and early twenty‑first centuries.
Typical given names associated with the Topp surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- Darren
- David
- Gary
- James
- John
- Michael
- Nicholas
- Simon
- William
Female
- Amanda
- Caroline
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Judith
- Linda
- Lucy
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Rachel
- Samantha
- Sarah
- Susan
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 Topp in...
Braille
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Topp are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Fox's Dark Chocolate Cookie.
There are approximately 1,151 people named Topp in the UK. That makes it roughly the 6,627th most common surname in Britain. Around 18 in a million people in Britain are named Topp.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Topp
- Laurie Topp - Football player (1923 to 2017)
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.