Surname Paap - Meaning and Origin
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Paap: What does the surname Paap mean?
The origin of the last name Paap is Dutch. It is derived from the Dutch word "paap" meaning "priest". The surname was originally most likely adopted by a family of priests or someone belonging to a religious order or order of priests. It is also possible that the name was adopted by someone who worked in a church in some capacity.
Paap is also a variant of the English name Pope, which is derived from the Latin ‘papa’ and means "father". It was common for people to call their priests - papa or Pope - and this could have been an influence on the origin of the surname.
Over time the spelling of the surname has been altered in some parts of the world. The most common contemporary spelling is Pap, however other variants include Papp, Papen and Papu.
The last name Paap was most likely first found in the Netherlands. The Paap family were originally from Holland, and its use slowly spread to parts of German, Belgium and Switzerland. As the family moved around Europe, the name has been spelled differently in various regions.
In contemporary times, the last name Paap is most common in the United States, Canada, and parts of South America. It is estimated that there are over 10,000 people in the United States who bear this surname.
Order DNA origin analysisPaap: Where does the name Paap come from?
The last name Paap is an uncommon yet familiar sight in several countries due to migration. In Europe, the most common concentrations of the Paap surname are in Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark. In Germany, the Paap surname is seen in the Netherlands provinces of Groningen and Overijssel. In the Netherlands, the Paap name is seen mainly in the North, with notable hotspots in the provinces of Friesland, Groningen, and the southern province of Utrecht. In Denmark, the Paap surname is most commonly found in Copenhagen and the surrounding area.
The United States is another popular destination for the Paap surname. It appears most frequently in Pennsylvania, in both the Philadelphia metropolitan area and Howard County (northwest of Hershey), as well as in California, Florida, and Wisconsin. Emigration from Germany and the Netherlands to the US also brought families with the Paap surname to the country. In addition to the US, Paap families can also be found in Australia, Canada, and Singapore, as well as in other parts of the world.
The current global population of people with the Paap surname is estimated to be approximately 36,000. Although it is not overly common, the Paap surname is still widely spread across the world.