Yap
A surname found in Wales and England, sometimes explained as a Welsh patronymic prefix and sometimes as a nickname for a quick or eager person.
The #7,261 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 67,265 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname has two historical explanations in the old reference works. One treats Yap as a Welsh prefix meaning "son of," a form said to have appeared alongside Ab in older spellings. Another links it to an English nickname from northern and standard dialect yap, meaning quick, eager, or astute, with a further older Germanic root behind that sense.
History
Lower’s 19th-century note connects Yap with Welsh naming practice, while Harrison later records an English dialect word with the sense "quick" or "eager." As with many short surnames, the name may have arisen independently in more than one place, so modern bearers may not share a single origin. The surname is relatively uncommon in the United States today.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old surname books sometimes treated Yap as part of Welsh naming syntax rather than as a standalone family name, which shows how fluid surname forms could be in earlier records.
From the historical record
“hollow ; f. O.E. hdp, a hoop] YAPP (Eng.) the North. E. and Stat, yap = Quick, Eager [O.E. gedp, cunning,astute] YARBORO YARBOROUGH YARBROUGH”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)