Find out how popular the last name Sapp is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sapp.

Sapp, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sapp surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sapp in America

Sapp is the 1752nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sapp surname appeared 20,448 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Sapp.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sapp to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sapp

The surname Sapp is believed to have originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "sap," meaning sap or tree juice, suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or worked with trees.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Sapp can be found in various medieval records and documents from the German states. One notable mention is in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of charters and documents from the Saxon region, where a certain "Henricus Sapp" is listed as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1287.

As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Sapp, Sap, Sapp, and Zapp. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of local scribes who recorded the names.

In the 16th century, the Sapp name appears in several historical records from the Netherlands, including the baptismal records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Amsterdam. One such entry from 1587 mentions the baptism of "Cornelis Sapp," the son of a merchant family.

Over the centuries, several notable individuals have carried the Sapp surname. One of the earliest was Johann Sapp (1549-1621), a German theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Tübingen. Another was Pieter Sapp (1668-1734), a Dutch painter known for his landscape and still-life works.

In the 19th century, Friedrich Sapp (1807-1879) was a German naturalist and entomologist who made significant contributions to the study of insects and their classification. Additionally, Otto Sapp (1873-1959) was a German architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities.

The Sapp name also found its way to the United States, where one of the earliest recorded instances is that of Jacob Sapp, who arrived in Pennsylvania from Germany in the mid-18th century. Another notable American with the surname was Thomas Sapp (1834-1909), a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for his bravery in battle.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sapp

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sapp.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sapp was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sapp has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sapp was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sapp, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!