Clapp is an English surname, most commonly found in the

West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Glouce ...

and in the United States. The word signifies rough ground, or a small hill. Some men who brought the surname "Clapp" to America include: Captain Roger Clapp, who came to the New World on the ship ''

Mary and John ''Mary and John'' was a 400-ton ship that is known to have sailed between England and the American colonies four times from 1607 to 1633. She was during the later voyages captained by Robert Davies and owned by Roger Ludlow (1590–1664), one of t ...

'', which landed at Nantasket (now

Hull, Massachusetts Hull is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, located on a peninsula at the southern edge of Boston Harbor. Its population was 10,072 at the 2020 census. Hull is the smallest town by land area in Plymouth County and the four ...

), on May 30, 1630. He helped establish the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts, soon afterward. He worked for many years in important positions for the town and in the military organization, including a long period as

commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

of Castle Island. Deacon Edward Clapp, an older brother of Roger, arrived in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1633. It has mistakenly been reported that he had no children, but his last will and testament prove otherwise. Edward was married to Prudence, and their son Nehemiah married Sarah Leavitt, daughter of

John Leavitt Deacon John Leavitt (1608–1691) was a tailor, public officeholder, and founding deacon of Old Ship Church in Hingham, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, the only remaining 17th-century Puritan meeting house in America and the oldest church in con ...

, one of the first settlers of Dorchester and later of

Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in metropolitan Greater Boston on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts in northern Plymouth County. At the 2020 census, the population was 24,284. Hingham is known for its colonial history and location o ...

. Nehemiah Clapp lived in Hingham for a few years, but relocated to Dorchester, where he died at age 38 in 1684. The Clapp Memorial: Record of the Clapp Family in America, Ebenezer Clapp, Compiler, David Clapp & Son, Publishers, Boston, 1876"> The Clapp Memorial: Record of the Clapp Family in America, Ebenezer Clapp, Compiler, David Clapp & Son, Publishers, Boston, 1876
/ref> Thomas Clapp, a cousin of Roger and Edward, arrived in the same ship as Edward in 1633. He later moved to Weymouth, and then to

Scituate, Massachusetts Scituate () is a seacoast town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on the South Shore, midway between Boston and Plymouth. The population was 19,063 at the 2020 census. History The Wampanoag and their neighbors have inhabited ...

, where he was a Deputy of the Court. Deacon Nicholas Clapp, brother of Thomas, arrived in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1633. He was an upstanding member of his community, occasionally mediating disputes. George Gilson Clapp came to America in 1666, residing for a time in

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = G ...

before settling in

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

People with the surname

Allen Clapp Allen Gordon Clapp (born August 5, 1967) is the singer, guitarist and principal songwriter for the California rock band The Orange Peels. Since 1990, he has also periodically released material under his own name and under the moniker "Allen Clapp ...

(born 1967), American singer, guitarist and principal songwriter of the rock band The Orange Peels * Almon M. Clapp (1811–1899), American politician and first

Public Printer of the United States The Public Printer of the United States was the head of the United States Government Publishing Office (GPO). Pursuant to , this officer was nominated by the President of the United States and approved by the United States Senate. In December 2014, ...

Asa Clapp (merchant) Asa Clapp (March 15, 1762 – April 17, 1848) was an American merchant and politician. Personal Clapp was born to Abiel Clapp, an established farmer and town magistrate in Mansfield, Massachusetts. In 1787, Clapp married Eliza Wendell Quincy (di ...

(1762–1848), American merchant and politician *

Asa Clapp (politician) Asa Clapp (March 6, 1805 – March 22, 1891) was a United States representative from Maine. Biography Asa William Henry Clapp, son of wealthy merchant and state legislator Asa Clapp (1762–1848) was born in Portland on March 6, 1805. He gradu ...

(1805–1891), American politician, son of the above *

Austin Clapp Austin Rhone Clapp (November 8, 1910 – December 22, 1971) was an American competition swimmer and water polo player who represented the United States at the 1928 Summer Olympics and 1932 Summer Olympics.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Ath ...

(1910–1971), American swimmer and water polo player *

Benjamin Clapp Benjamin Clapp (born October 13, 1977) is an American musician from Boise, Idaho. He has performed, composed, and recorded music with numerous artists, most notably Erik Sanko (The Lounge Lizards) and Skeleton Key, Tom Marshall (Phish) and Amfi ...

(born 1977), American musician * Benjamin L. Clapp (1814–1865), Mormon leader and member of the First Seven Presidents of the Seventy *

Cameron Clapp Cameron Clapp (born February 18, 1986) is an American athlete. As a triple amputee, he has become a motivational speaker, mentor to young amputees, and amputee activist. He is also an actor. He has been characterized as the "quintessential Cali ...

(born 1986), American disabled athlete and actor *

Cornelia Clapp Cornelia Maria Clapp (March 17, 1849 – December 31, 1934) was an American zoologist and educator, specializing in marine biology. She earned the first Ph.D. in biology awarded to a woman in the United States from Syracuse University in 1889, a ...

(1849–1934), American zoologist * Dominic Clapp (born 1980), English cricketer *

George Hubbard Clapp George Hubbard Clapp (1858–1949) was an American pioneer in the aluminum industry and also a numismatist. He was born on December 14 in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, now a part of Pittsburgh, the son of Delia Dennig Hubbard and DeWitt Clinton ...

(1858–1949), American pioneer in the aluminum industry *

Gordon Clapp Gordon Clapp (born September 24, 1948) is an American actor best known for playing Det. Greg Medavoy for all 12 seasons of the television series ''NYPD Blue'', winning an Emmy Award in 1998. Early life and education Clapp was born in North Con ...

(born 1948), American actor *

Harold Winthrop Clapp Sir Harold Winthrop Clapp KBE (7 May 1875 – 21 October 1952) was a transport administrator who over the course of thirty years had a profound effect on Australia's railway network. In two decades as its Chairman of Commissioners, he revolution ...

(1875–1952), Australian transport administrator *

Harvey Clapp Harvey Spaulding Clapp (March 13, 1817 – 1889) was an American farmer and legislator. Born in Moretown, Vermont, Clapp moved to Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and settled in Hudson and was a farmer. He served as County Clerk of St. Croix Coun ...

(1817–1889), American farmer and politician *

James Kilton Clapp James Kilton Clapp (December 30, 1897 – 1965) was an American electrical engineer who worked for General Radio Corporation. He was born in Denver, Colorado and graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1923, obtaining a master's d ...

(1897–1965), American electrical engineer and inventor *

John Clapp (artist) John Clapp is a visual artist from the San Francisco Bay Area. He was educated at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and is a professor in the School of Art & Design at San Jose State University in San Jose, California. Bibl ...

, professor and children's book illustrator *

John Clapp (baseball) John Edgar Clapp (July 15, 1851December 18, 1904), nicknamed "Honest John", was a professional baseball player-manager whose career spanned 12 seasons, 11 of which were spent with the Major League Baseball (MLB) Middletown Mansfields (1872), Phi ...

(1851–1904), Major League Baseball player and manager * Joseph Dorr Clapp (1811–1900), American businessman and politician *

Krissada Sukosol Clapp Krissada Sukosol Clapp (also known as Krissada Terrence, Noi S. Clapp or Noi Pru; born December 26, 1970) is a Thai pop singer, actor and a member of the Thai pop band Pru. His film roles include '' Bangkok Loco'', ''The Adventure of Iron Pussy ...

(born 1970), Thai singer and actor *

Louise Clapp Louise Lucelia Clapp (May 12, 1934 – October 17, 1967) was a pitcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right-handed. Little is known about this player who saw action in the All-American Gi ...

(1934–1967), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player *

Louise Brough Althea Louise Brough Clapp (née Brough; March 11, 1923 – February 3, 2014) was an American tennis player. In her career between 1939 and 1959, she won six Grand Slam singles titles as well as numerous doubles and mixed-doubles titles. At the ...

Clapp (1923–2014), American tennis player * Margaret Clapp (1910–1974), American scholar, educator and Pulitzer Prize winner * Mark R. Clapp (1803–1891), American politician and farmer * Michael Clapp (born 1932), retired Royal Navy commodore, Amphibious Force commander in the

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territori ...

* Moses E. Clapp (1851–1929), American lawyer and politician *

Nicholas Clapp Nicholas Clapp is a Borrego Springs, California based writer, film-maker, and amateur archaeologist who has been called "a modern day Indiana Jones". He has received 70 film awards (including Emmys), and several films that he edited have receive ...

(born 1936), American writer and filmmaker * Philip Greeley Clapp (1888–1954), American educator, conductor, pianist and composer of classical music * Priscilla A. Clapp (born 1941), American diplomat *Richard Stubby Clapp (born 1973), Canadian baseball player * Robert Edwin Clapp (1855–after 1908), Canadian physician and politician *

Susannah Clapp Susannah Clapp (born 1949) is a British writer, who has been the theatre critic of ''The Observer'' since 1997 and is a contributor to the BBC Radio 3 ''Nightwaves'' programme. Clapp read English at the University of Bristol, where one of her teac ...

(born 1949), British theatre critic, writer and book editor *

Thomas Clap Thomas Clap or Thomas Clapp (June 26, 1703 – January 7, 1767) was an American academic and educator, a Congregational minister, and college administrator. He was both the fifth rector and the earliest official to be called " president" of Yale ...

or Clapp (1703–1767), American academic and educator, President of Yale College *

Tom Clapp Tom Clapp (25 October 1858 – 15 October 1933) was an English-born international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport and Nantyglo RFC. He won 14 caps for Wales and captained the team on three occasions. Clapp was the first N ...

(1858–1933), English rugby union player *

Verner Clapp Verner Warren Clapp (June 3, 1901 – June 15, 1972) was a librarian, writer, and polymath. Starting as a summer clerk at the Library of Congress in 1922, Clapp rose to chief assistant librarian and acting Librarian of Congress. In 1956, he left t ...

(1901–1972), American librarian and writer * Will Clapp (born 1995), American football player *Philip John Clapp, aka

Johnny Knoxville Philip John Clapp (born March 11, 1971), best known professionally as Johnny Knoxville, is an American stunt performer, actor, writer, producer, and professional wrestler. He is best known as a co-creator and star of the MTV reality stunt show ...

(born 1971), American actor

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clapp (Surname)

People with the surname

See also

References