Explore the Family Name Tapp

The meaning of Tapp

1. English: from the early Middle English personal name Tapp (Old English Tæppa). The unrecorded Old English personal name is thought to be the first element of the placenames Taplow (Buckinghamshire), Tapners (Kent), Tappington (Kent), and Tapton (Derbyshire). See also Taplin. 2. English: variant of Topp. 3. English: possibly a nickname from Middle English tape ‘ribbon, tape’, or tappe ‘plug, tap’; ‘tap, knock’. 4. German: from a short form of the ancient Germanic name Theudobrand, composed of the elements theud ‘people, race’ + brand ‘sword’. 5. North German: nickname for a clumsy person or a simpleton, from Middle Low German tappe ‘oaf’.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Tapp fluctuated between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was the 5319th most popular surname in the United States with a count of 6032 individuals bearing this name. However, by 2010, its rank had dropped to 5619, indicating a decrease in popularity by 5.64%. Yet, the overall count of people with the surname Tapp increased slightly by 2.55% to 6186 individuals, suggesting that while less common, the surname continued to persist within the population.

20002010Change
Rank#5,319#5,619-5.64%
Count6,0326,1862.55%
Proportion per 100k2.242.1-6.25%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Tapp

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows some changes for those bearing the surname Tapp from 2000 to 2010. The largest percentage of individuals identified as White, although this group saw a slight decrease from 84.30% to 82.19%. Individuals identifying as Black made up the second largest ethnic identity, increasing slightly from 11.87% to 12.40%. Interestingly, the number of individuals identifying as part of two or more races and Hispanic saw significant increases at 55.64% and 95.58% respectively. Conversely, individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased by 9.43% and 23.53% respectively.

20002010Change
White84.3%82.19%-2.5%
Black11.87%12.4%4.47%
Hispanic1.13%2.21%95.58%
Two or More Races1.33%2.07%55.64%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.85%0.65%-23.53%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.53%0.48%-9.43%

Tapp 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 Tapp is British & Irish, which comprises 55.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.1%) and Scandinavian (3.7%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Nigerian, Spanish & Portuguese, Indigenous American, and Italian.

Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe

ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish55.8%
French & German23.1%
Scandinavian3.7%
Other17.4%
Tapp

Possible origins of the surname Tapp

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 Tapp have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom93.40%
Greater London, United Kingdom93.40%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom93.40%
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom93.40%
Merseyside, United Kingdom93.40%

What Tapp 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 Tapp is Q-M3, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup Q-M3 is descended from haplogroup Q-M242. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-L48, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Tavarez, Mireles, De Leon, Tellez, Juarez, Saucedo, Rosas, Venegas, Bautista, De La Rosa.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Tapp surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

tappPaternal Haplogroup Origins Q-M242
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to The Ancient One

When two college students stumbled upon a human skull on the banks of the Columbia River, neither the students nor the police who responded to their 911 call could have imagined the archaeological significance of this rare discovery. The skull — along with about 300 other bone fragments found near Kennewick, Washington — belonged to a 9,000 year-old nomad who Native Americans have dubbed "The Ancient One." Based on skeletal clues, The Ancient One (also known as "Kennewick Man") likely swam, wielded a spear, and hunted coastal fauna for the greater part of his lifeInitial craniometric studies suggested he descended from ancient Japanese and Polynesian-like people and had little in common with living Native Americans. This claim — refuted by the Plateau tribes of the Pacific Northwest — became the center of a decades-long legal battle over the provenance of the remains. When The Ancient One's genome was finally sequenced in 2015, the evidence revealed he was genetically most similar to modern-day Native Americans. In fact, local tribes were found to be direct descendants of a population closely related to The Ancient One; in 2017, he finally received a proper Native American burial. This critical discovery helps illustrate a genetic continuity between ancient and modern-day Native Americans. Furthermore, his paternal line belonged to haplogroup Q-M3, the predominant lineage among Native Americans today.

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 Tapp 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

Tapp

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Tapp" Surname 23.1%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Tapp

Misophonia

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

"Tapp" Surname 22.6%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Tapp

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Tapp" Surname 21.3%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Tapp

Migraine

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

"Tapp" Surname 18.6%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Tapp?

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 Tapp 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%