Surname Gopp - Meaning and Origin
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Gopp: What does the surname Gopp mean?
The last name Gopp is of Germanic origin and is a habitational name from a place called Gopp or Göpp, located near Wildeck in the Hesse region of present-day Germany. It likely derived from the Middle High German word 'gophe' meaning "magpie".
The earliest known record of the surname was from 1250, when Berthold and Albertus Gopp were noted in the records of the Monastery at Loccum. It is likely that other members of the family had adopted the surname by this time.
As a surname, Gopp has been used by various branches of the family as far back as the 1800s. From the late 19th century onwards, it is known to have been used in the United States, where it mainly originated from German immigrants.
Historically, the Gopp family had strong ties with the Church and several members are known to have held prominent roles in religious institutions. Johann Adam Gopp (circa 1673–1747) was an organist and music theorist in Germany, and Johann Gopp (born in 1698) was an almoner (which is a trustee responsible for distributing charity) in the Republic of Venice.
The Gopp family has also had a presence in the business world, with several members having started their own businesses or working as entrepreneurs. Johann Heinrich Gopp (1762–1840) founded a successful furniture company in Germany and, more recently, Charles and Anna Gopp (1882–1962) owned a bakery in the United States.
Today, the Gopp name is still present in Germany and America, as well as other countries around the world, where it is used by multiple generations of descendents. It has become a symbol of the global reach of the Gopp family and the various ways in which its members have contributed to society.
Order DNA origin analysisGopp: Where does the name Gopp come from?
The surname Gopp is most commonly found in areas of Central and Eastern Europe where the Wendish people lived in the past, particularly in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. The Wendish people were Central and Eastern European pagans who practiced Germanic and Slavic customs, including their own language of Sorbian.
The first occurrence of the surname Gopp in Germany was recorded during the 9th century. It was mentioned in historical records as a Wendish clan name at that time. By the 16th century, there were numerous families bearing the surname Gopp in East and West Prussia. Many of the families scattered during the religious wars in the area, and the surname can be found in other parts of European today.
Today, the last name Gopp is most commonly found in Germany and Austria. According to a search of the ancestry.com database, the name is present in all sixteen German states, with the most occurrences in Bavaria and Sachsen-Anhalt. It is also found in Austria and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. There are some instances of the name Gopp in North America, mostly due to people with Wendish roots settling there during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Overall, the surname Gopp is not as common today as it used to be, but it can still be found in its original region of Central and Eastern Europe.
Variations of the surname Gopp
The surname Gopp is of English and German origin and has many variants. In English, the varied spellings of the surname are Gop, Goopp, Goap, Goape, Gope, Gopee, Gopo, Gopp, Goppee, Goppey and Goppie. In German, variants include Göpp, Göppel, Göbbel, Göpfel and Güpfel. The surname is sometimes spelled Gopple or Gopples.
The Gopp surname likely derived from the personal name Göpp or Gebhard, which comes from the Old German elements meaning “God” and “hard”, respectively. Additionally, the surname may be derived from the Middle High German term gede, meaning “brother”. The last name Gopp could also be a Germanized form of the English surname Gopp, which is derived from the Old English nickname “Goda”, meaning “God’s servant”.
Surnames of the same origin include Gebhard, Göpple, Gopples, Goppley, Gopal, Goplu, Gople, Gopall, Goppal, and Gopal. Some of these variants are also found in other countries, especially in India. The last name Gopp may also be found as an Americanized spelling of German, Czech or Dutch surnames.
The variant spellings of the Gopp surname indicate how common or rare the name is in its respective cultures, while the existence of the similar surnames of the same origin further illustrates the broad geographical and ethnic distribution of the Gopp surname.
Famous people with the name Gopp
- Andre Gopp: Austrian alpine skier, competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics and the 2006 Winter Olympics.
- Susan Gopp: former U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe.
- Eva Gopp: Czechoslovakian gymnast who competed in the 1980 and 1984 Olympics.
- Reinhard Gopp: Austrian composer and musicologist.
- Hans Gopp: German theatre director and actor.
- Gottlob Gopp: German botanist and entomologist.
- Paulus Gopp: German violinist and composer.
- Barbara Gopp: Austrian classical pianist and teacher.
- Johannes Gopp: Swiss theologian and writer.
- Johannes Gopp: 17th-century German theologian and poet.