Snapp
Usually an English surname from a local place-name related to a springy or boggy spot, though some examples may also reflect the word “snap” or a nickname.
The #7,618 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 70,813 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is most likely connected with an English place-name, especially one like Snape, from a local word meaning a spring or wet hollow in arable ground. The form may also have been influenced by the English word “snap,” so in some cases it could have developed as a nickname-like spelling. Because early surname spelling was very fluid, Snapp, Snape, Snipe, and similar forms sometimes appear side by side in historical records.
History
19th-century surname writers noted Snapp among American names and grouped it with related forms such as Snape and Snipe. That suggests the name was already established in Britain and carried into the United States by the 1800s. The surname remains relatively uncommon, with modern bearers concentrated in the U.S.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century name list treated Snapp as part of a little cluster of surnames built around sn- sounds, alongside Snape, Snare, and Snake.
From the historical record
“parish co. Suffolk, and of a township co. York, North Riding. The Devonshire word snape signifies a spring in arable ground. The names Snape, Snapp, Snipe, Snupe are found in the U. S. SNIVELLY, SNIVELY, SNIVELEY. U. S. names. From some local name compounded of ley. See LEGG. SNOOKS. The word snooks is often…”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames