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

Tappan, 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 Tappan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tappan in America

Tappan is the 19642nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tappan surname appeared 1,373 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tappan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tappan 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 Tappan

The surname TAPPAN originated in the Netherlands during the 15th century. It is derived from the Dutch word "tap", meaning "tap" or "spigot", and likely referred to someone who worked with tapping barrels or making taps.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name TAPPAN can be found in the Dutch records from the town of Tappan, located in the province of Gelderland. This town likely gave rise to the surname as people migrated from the area and took on the name as a way to identify their place of origin.

In the 16th century, the TAPPAN name began to appear in various Dutch records and manuscripts, including the Registers of the Dutch Reformed Church. One notable individual from this time was Pieter Tappan, a merchant who was born in Amsterdam in 1550 and traveled extensively throughout Europe and the New World.

As Dutch settlers began to colonize the New World in the 17th century, the TAPPAN surname was carried across the Atlantic. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was that of Antje Tappan, who was born in 1620 in the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam (present-day New York City).

In the 18th century, the TAPPAN name gained prominence in the American colonies, particularly in the state of New York. Arthur Tappan (1786-1865) was a prominent abolitionist and philanthropist who co-founded the American Anti-Slavery Society and played a key role in the Underground Railroad.

Another notable figure was Benjamin Tappan (1773-1857), a United States Senator from Ohio and a staunch supporter of the anti-slavery movement. His nephew, Lewis Tappan (1788-1873), was also an influential abolitionist and co-founder of the American Anti-Slavery Society.

The TAPPAN name has also been associated with several place names in the United States, such as Tappan, New York, and Tappan Lake in Ohio. These locations likely derived their names from early Dutch settlers with the TAPPAN surname.

Other notable individuals with the TAPPAN surname include Mary Tappan Wright (1851-1916), a prominent American suffragist and writer, and Eva March Tappan (1854-1930), an educator and author of children's literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tappan

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

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 Tappan 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 Tappan 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 Tappan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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