Clapp is an English surname, most commonly found in the

West Country The West Country is a loosely defined area within southwest England, usually taken to include the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Bristol, with some considering it to extend to all or parts of Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and ...

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 1634. Named in tribute to John and Mary Winthrop she was captained by Robert Davies and owned by Roger Ludlow ( ...

'', 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 United States Census, 2020 census. Hull is the smallest town by land area in P ...

), on May 30, 1630. He helped establish the town of

Dorchester, Massachusetts Dorchester () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood comprising more than in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Originally, Dorchester was a separate town, founded by Puritans who emigrated in 1630 from Dorchester, Dorset, E ...

, 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 ...

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 cont ...

, one of the first settlers of Dorchester and later of

Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in northern Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Part of the Greater Boston region, it is located on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore of Massachusetts. At the 2020 ...

. 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 inhabited the ar ...

, 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 South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

before settling in

Westchester County Westchester County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The county is the seventh most populous cou ...

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

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 director of the U.S. Government Publishing Office, formerly the public printer of the United States, is the head of the United States Government Publishing Office (GPO). Pursuant to , this officer is nominated by the president of the United Sta ...

* Asa Clapp (merchant) (1762–1848), American merchant and politician * Asa Clapp (politician) (1805–1891), American politician, son of the above * Austin Clapp (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 Amf ...

(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 educator and zoologist, 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, ...

(1849–1934), American zoologist * Dominic Clapp (born 1980), English cricketer * George Hubbard Clapp (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 Order of the British Empire, 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 ...

(1875–1952), Australian transport administrator * Harvey Clapp (1817–1889), American farmer and politician * Hilary Pit-a-pit Clapp (1894-1945), Igorot doctor and politician * Hubert Clapp (born 1975), American cryptologist in the Navy and CEO of Analyst1 *

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), professor and children's book illustrator *

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

(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 * Lauren Clapp (born 1994), Queen of Sidmouth, Devon * Louise Clapp (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 titles in singles as well as numerous doubles and mixed-doubles titles. At ...

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 () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...

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

Nicholas Clapp Nicholas Clapp (born May 1, 1936) is an American filmmaker, writer, 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 received Acade ...

(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 Richard Keith "Stubby" Clapp (born February 24, 1973) is a Canadian professional baseball coach and former second baseman and Triple-A manager who is the first base coach for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played fo ...

(born 1973), Canadian baseball player * Robert Edwin Clapp (1855–after 1908), Canadian physician and politician * Shaun Clapp (born 1963), Mayor of Sidmouth, Devon *

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 C ...

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 ...

(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 ...

(1901–1972), American librarian and writer *

Will Clapp Will Clapp (born December 10, 1995) is an American professional football center for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers. He has also played for the Los Angeles Chargers an ...

(born 1995), American football player *Philip John Clapp, aka

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

(born 1971), American actor

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clapp (Surname)

People with the surname

See also

References