Show ContentsTape History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Tape

What does the name Tape mean?

Tape is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname that came from the Old Danish personal name Topi. Many Scandinavian personal names were left in the British Isles as a legacy of the Viking raids which plagued the coastal regions of Britain from the 8th to 10th centuries, and many of these eventually became Anglo-Saxon surnames.

Early Origins of the Tape family

The surname Tape was first found in Somerset, where the first records of the name are Robert Top and William Toppe, bother recorded there 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 1

"The Dorset family of Topp probably belong to the ancient Wiltshire family of Topp, now extinct, that held the manor of Stockton in Wilts from before the Reformation until the close of last century, when it passed by marriage into the possession of Robert Balch, Esq., of St. Audries, Somerset." 2

"The manor of Killenick [at Land's End, Cornwall] belonged, in the reign of Richard II. to John Longeland and Lankford. This manor has been dismembered ; and it was sold in the year 1720, under a decree of chancery, in its divided state. Bosvargus, which was formerly a seat belonging to a family of that name, was at one time inherited by the learned Jonathan Toup, rector of St. Martin's, near Looe." 3

Some of the family were found in Scotland as "Edward Top admitted [was] burgess of Aberdeen, 1486 is doubtless the Edward Top who was fined in 1497 for 'failzeit in the waching of the tone.'" 4

Early History of the Tape family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tape research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1202, 1580 and 1639 are included under the topic Early Tape History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tape Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Tape has been recorded under many different variations, including Toop, Toope, Tooppe, Toopes, Toup, Toupe, Tupe, Toowp and many more.

Early Notables of the Tape family

More information is included under the topic Early Tape Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Tape migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Tape or a variant listed above:

Tape Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Henry Tape, aged 32, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 5

Tape migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tape Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mark Tape, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1825

Tape migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Tape Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • John Tape, aged 22, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Ascendant" 6
  • John Tape, aged 22, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "The Ascendant" in 1851 6
  • Fanny Tape, aged 21, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "The Ascendant" in 1851 6
  • Sarah Tape, aged 1, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "The Ascendant" in 1851 6


  1. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  2. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  3. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  4. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ASCENDANT 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Ascendant.htm


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