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ArchivesSurname: Crapo
My mother's maiden name is Crapo and I've always thought it was odd. The name is pronouced cray-poh and I think the name might be French because her father's family was mostly French-Canadian Indian. My father always says the name is probably a phonetical spelling of a French surname which must have come about because of the family's poor education.
If you have any information or suggestions about the spelling, origin, meaning, and especially of the original spelling of this name it would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance! ~ Laurie
If you have any information or suggestions about the spelling, origin, meaning, and especially of the original spelling of this name it would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance! ~ Laurie
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Replies
I also have an ancestor with this last name, who married an English ancestor in Massachusetts. Many of my other ancestors, in both sides of the family, we're French-Canadian.
According to Ancestry.com the name possibly originated in the Bordeaux region of France. The French spelling is Crepeau, with an accent over the first 'e,' giving it an 'A' sound.
According to Ancestry.com the name possibly originated in the Bordeaux region of France. The French spelling is Crepeau, with an accent over the first 'e,' giving it an 'A' sound.
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The surname Crapo has two difference sources in North America.
Crapo (1), alteration of Crapeau, origin uncertain.
— Pierre Crapeau (Nicolas and …) from Bordeaux in Gironde (Aquitaine) m. Penelope White (Samuel and Rebecca Lapham) in Rochester, MA in 1704.
Crapo (2), alteration of Crépeau, derived from Old French cresp(e) ‘curly-haired’.
— Maurice Crépeau (Jean and Suzanne Fumoleau) from Les Roches-Baritaud in Vendée (Pays de la Loire) m. Marguerite Laverdure (Martin and Jacqueline Leliot) in Québec in 1665.
Crapo (1), alteration of Crapeau, origin uncertain.
— Pierre Crapeau (Nicolas and …) from Bordeaux in Gironde (Aquitaine) m. Penelope White (Samuel and Rebecca Lapham) in Rochester, MA in 1704.
Crapo (2), alteration of Crépeau, derived from Old French cresp(e) ‘curly-haired’.
— Maurice Crépeau (Jean and Suzanne Fumoleau) from Les Roches-Baritaud in Vendée (Pays de la Loire) m. Marguerite Laverdure (Martin and Jacqueline Leliot) in Québec in 1665.
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In France you can find Crapeau i am asking to Jean Tosti site if it could be a variant of "Crapet" or "Crapez" this words could indicate originally a "dirt" person.
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Assuming the name is of French origin, the original spelling may have been CRAPAUD. This vocabulary word means "toad" or "ugly person". Not very charming, I know. But it may also be used in the sense of "rascal".
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