Origins of the Chapman surname

What does the name Chapman mean?

The origin of the Chapman surname is English (spread widely throughout the country), dating back to at least the late 1200s and coming from the Old English 'ceapman' (merchant). Chapman is an occupational surname that relates to a merchant or buyer and seller of goods, given to those who performed that business, and their descendants.

Alternative variations of the name Chapman

Chapman, Chepman, Chipman, Chopman, Cheapman

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Delve deeper into the Chapman family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 2792North West 668Isle of Man 33Yorkshire 4545East Midlands 2096West Midlands 1174East 3683London 9771South East 4510South West 897South Wales 329Mid Wales 60West Wales 6North Wales 78Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Chapmans lived in london

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

57,000 Chapman Travel & migration records
440,000 Chapmans found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Chapman

How common is your surname?

66th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Chapman surname. The oldest one dates back to 1220.

Who were Chapmans most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Chapmans.

What are the most common Chapman first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Chapman family members
Man with milk churns and census card collage
Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Chapmans

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Chapmans in 1921

Dressmaker

1,942

Domestic Servant

1,166

Laundress

1,165

General Servant Domestic

1,004

Living On Own Means

855

Common male occupations for Chapmans in 1921

Agricultural Labourer

2,698

General Labourer

1,602

Farmer

1,492

Farm Labourer

1,442

Carpenter

1,201

We found over 400,000 family trees with the Chapman surname

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