NameCensus.

UK surname

Trapp

An occupational surname referring to a trapper or hunter who catches animals using traps.

In the 1881 census there were 335 people recorded with the Trapp surname, ranking it #9,016 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 363, ranked #12,777, down from #9,016 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bredon, London parishes and Abbots Langley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wychavon, Malvern Hills and Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Trapp is 434 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 8.4%.

1881 census count

335

Ranked #9,016

Modern count

363

2016, ranked #12,777

Peak year

1911

434 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Trapp had 335 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,016 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 363 in 2016, ranked #12,777.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 434 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Trapp surname distribution map

The map shows where the Trapp surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Trapp surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Trapp over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 180 #11,300
1861 historical 196 #12,223
1881 historical 335 #9,016
1891 historical 346 #9,920
1901 historical 423 #9,113
1911 historical 434 #8,740
1997 modern 339 #12,464
1998 modern 364 #12,201
1999 modern 365 #12,245
2000 modern 342 #12,771
2001 modern 337 #12,702
2002 modern 335 #13,020
2003 modern 333 #12,875
2004 modern 334 #12,897
2005 modern 329 #12,966
2006 modern 338 #12,779
2007 modern 339 #12,896
2008 modern 342 #12,933
2009 modern 348 #13,020
2010 modern 360 #12,953
2011 modern 362 #12,773
2012 modern 343 #13,158
2013 modern 362 #12,843
2014 modern 365 #12,853
2015 modern 360 #12,880
2016 modern 363 #12,777

Geography

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Where Trapps are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bredon, London parishes, Abbots Langley, Cheltenham and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wychavon, Malvern Hills, Cornwall, Ashford and Amber Valley. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bredon Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Abbots Langley Hertfordshire
4 Cheltenham Gloucestershire
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wychavon 012 Wychavon
2 Malvern Hills 011 Malvern Hills
3 Cornwall 062 Cornwall
4 Ashford 011 Ashford
5 Amber Valley 013 Amber Valley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Trapp

These lists show first names that appear often with the Trapp surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Trapp

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Trapp, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Trapp surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Trapp household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Trapp is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Trapp is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Trapp falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Trapp is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Trapp, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Trapp

The surname Trapp is of German origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Middle High German word "trappe," which means "stair" or "step." This suggests that the name may have originated as a occupational surname for a stair builder or someone who lived near a set of stairs or steps.

One of the earliest recorded references to the surname Trapp can be found in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a 15th-century illustrated world history book published in 1493. This suggests that the name was already established in Germany by that time.

In the 16th century, the Trapp surname appears in various records across Germany, including church registers and tax rolls. Notable individuals from this era include Hans Trapp, a Lutheran theologian born in Nuremberg in 1532, and Georg Trapp, a German composer and organist who lived from 1552 to 1619.

During the 17th century, the surname Trapp became more widespread throughout German-speaking regions. One notable figure was Johann Ernst Trapp, a German philologist and educator who was born in 1675 and played a significant role in the development of classical education in Germany.

The 18th century saw the emergence of several prominent individuals with the Trapp surname, including Johann Trapp, a German painter born in 1717, and Johann Georg Trapp, a German writer and theologian who lived from 1746 to 1818.

In the 19th century, the Trapp family gained international recognition through the story of the von Trapp family, whose lives were depicted in the musical and film "The Sound of Music." Georg Ludwig von Trapp, an Austro-Bavarian naval officer, was born in 1880 and married Agathe Whitehead in 1911. After Agathe's death, Georg married Maria Augusta Kutschera, who became the stepmother to his seven children. The family's escape from Nazi-occupied Austria and their eventual settlement in the United States became the basis for the famous musical.

Throughout its history, the surname Trapp has been associated with various places, such as the town of Trapp in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, as well as the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont, founded by the von Trapp family after their arrival in the United States.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Trapp families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Trapp surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 66 Trapps recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.02x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 66 2.02x
Gloucestershire 38 5.93x
Worcestershire 33 7.73x
Surrey 27 1.70x
Wiltshire 24 8.30x
Stirlingshire 23 19.08x
Hertfordshire 18 7.99x
Bedfordshire 17 10.05x
Warwickshire 17 2.06x
Kent 14 1.26x
Hampshire 11 1.64x
Somerset 11 2.09x
Norfolk 9 1.79x
Durham 6 0.62x
Shropshire 6 2.13x
Yorkshire 4 0.12x
Lanarkshire 3 0.28x
Sussex 3 0.54x
Cheshire 2 0.28x
Cornwall 1 0.27x
Lancashire 1 0.03x
Royal Navy 1 2.57x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 24 Trapps recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.58x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 24 7.58x
Warminster 24 379.15x
Falkirk 21 74.44x
Bredon 16 1095.89x
Penge 15 71.87x
Bedford St Paul 14 120.59x
Abbots Langley 12 358.21x
Birmingham 11 4.01x
Ashchurch 10 1333.33x
Southampton All Sts 9 78.33x
Bishops Cleeve 8 490.80x
Hampstead London 8 15.72x
Beckenham 7 48.01x
Hackney London 7 3.82x
Twining 7 729.17x
Aston 6 2.64x
Much Wenlock 6 230.77x
Mundesley 6 1428.57x
Stockton On Tees 6 12.80x
Weston 6 148.51x
Bermondsey 5 5.14x
Cheltenham 5 10.11x
Frome 5 39.75x
Lewisham 5 8.41x
Upton On Severn 5 178.57x
Wyre Piddle 5 1724.14x
Clerkenwell London 4 5.19x
Deerhurst 4 430.11x
Pershore Holy Cross 4 146.52x
St Marylebone London 4 2.29x
Willesden 4 12.99x
Brighton 3 2.70x
Bromley London 3 4.17x
Fulham London 3 6.33x
Govan 3 1.15x
Lambeth 3 1.05x
Norwich St Peter 3 90.91x
Thurleigh 3 447.76x
Acton In Nantwich 2 689.66x
Camberwell 2 0.96x
Kingston On Thames 2 5.23x
Newland 2 800.00x
St Albans St Stephen 2 101.52x
St George Hanover 2 4.69x
Airth 1 65.36x
Badgeworth 1 89.29x
Bothkennar 1 27.78x
Bradford 1 1.28x
Bushey 1 18.66x
Cheetham 1 3.46x
Falmouth 1 7.63x
Holdenhurst 1 5.69x
Hornsey 1 2.42x
Kemerton 1 181.82x
Kensington London 1 0.55x
Lower Mitton 1 26.60x
Margate St John Baptist 1 4.90x
Market Weighton Arras 1 47.62x
Paddington London 1 0.83x
Portsea 1 0.76x
Rotherham 1 5.48x
Royal Navy 1 3.00x
Sheffield 1 0.97x
South Hamlet 1 25.19x
St Albans 1 21.65x
St Albans St Michael 1 39.68x
St George Bloomsbury 1 5.33x
St Luke London 1 1.91x
St Pancras London 1 0.38x
Tewkesbury 1 17.48x
Tottenham 1 1.92x
Walmer 1 20.62x
Watford 1 5.73x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Trapp surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 18
Sarah 13
Annie 9
Caroline 8
Ellen 8
Jane 8
Ann 6
Elizabeth 6
Fanny 5
Edith 4
Catherine 3
Emily 3
Emma 3
Florence 3
Harriet 3
Kate 3
Louisa 3
Alice 2
Beatrice 2
Bessie 2
Eliza 2
Margaret 2
Matilda 2
Minnie 2
Rosina 2
Amelia 1
Amey 1
Amy 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Cecile 1
Drucilla 1
Eda 1
Editha 1
Frances 1
Gurtin 1
Harriett 1
Helen 1
Helena 1
Isabella 1
Jessie 1
Katherine 1
Laura 1
Louise 1
Lucy 1
Maria 1
Pheobe 1
Rachael 1
Rose 1
Valetta 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Trapp surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

FAQ

Trapp surname: questions and answers

How common was the Trapp surname in 1881?

In 1881, 335 people were recorded with the Trapp surname. That placed it at #9,016 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Trapp surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 363 in 2016. That gives Trapp a modern rank of #12,777.

What does the Trapp surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a trapper or hunter who catches animals using traps.

What does the Trapp map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Trapp bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.