Explore the Family Name Sapp

The meaning of Sapp

1. German: from a short form (Sabbe) of an ancient Germanic personal name with sacha ‘legal matter or action’ as the first element. 2. English: variant of Sopp with the vowel unrounded. 3. English: topographic name for someone who lived by a fir-tree, from Middle English sap(e) ‘fir-tree’ (Old English sæppe). 4. English: perhaps a nickname for someone who made or used soap, from northern Middle English sape ‘soap’, with a shortened vowel. Compare Soper.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Sapp in the United States?

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Sapp has seen a slight decrease in popularity over the past decade. In 2000, it was ranked as the 1655th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had dropped to the 1752nd position, signifying a change of -5.86%. Despite this dip in ranking, the actual count of people with the Sapp surname increased from 19,847 in 2000 to 20,448 in 2010, a growth of 3.03%. The proportion per 100,000 people also declined slightly, from 7.36 to 6.93.

20002010Change
Rank#1,655#1,752-5.86%
Count19,84720,4483.03%
Proportion per 100k7.366.93-5.84%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sapp

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some shifts among those carrying the Sapp surname between 2000 and 2010. The percentage identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, Hispanic, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native all saw increases, with Hispanic experiencing the greatest increase at 70.21%. Those identifying as White decreased slightly, from 77.36% to 75.15%. Despite these changes, White and Black continue to be the predominant ethnic identities associated with the Sapp surname.

20002010Change
White77.36%75.15%-2.86%
Black19.32%20.31%5.12%
Two or More Races1.48%1.92%29.73%
Hispanic0.94%1.6%70.21%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.5%0.56%12%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.4%0.46%15%

Sapp ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Sapp is British & Irish, which comprises 57.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.1%) and Eastern European (3.7%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Nigerian, Italian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Spanish & Portuguese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish57.2%
French & German23.1%
Eastern European3.7%
Other15.9%
Sapp

Possible origins of the surname Sapp

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Sapp have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom88.30%
Greater London, United Kingdom88.30%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom88.30%
West Midlands, United Kingdom88.00%
Lancashire, United Kingdom88.00%

What Sapp haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Sapp is R-L20, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L20 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-Z8 and R-CTS3655, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Dexter, Lively, Romo, Brittain, Mercier, Whitlock, Britton, Thornburg, Hearn, Bedell.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Sapp surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

sappPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Sapp have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Sapp

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Sapp" Surname 46.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Sapp

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Sapp" Surname 25.5%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Sapp

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Sapp" Surname 23.7%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Sapp

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Sapp" Surname 22.1%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Sapp?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Sapp are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%