Surname Torp - Meaning and Origin
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Torp: What does the surname Torp mean?
The last name Torp is a Scandinavian habitational surname that originated in the mid-nineteenth century. It is derived from the Old Norse word, thorp, which means “village” or “settlement.” The name originated as a signifier of someone who lived in or near a small village. It can also be associated with place names in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, as well as other regions.
The Torp surname initially appeared in the west coast of Norway, most likely along the coast of Oslo, Bergen, and other nearby locations. In the 1800s, people with the last name Torp tended to move from studio farms and rural areas to the country’s cities and towns, a practice called “urbanization” in those days.
Today, the Torp surname is found throughout Scandinavia and other parts of Europe. It is also popular in the United States, especially in states with significant Scandinavian populations such as Minnesota, Montana, and Wisconsin.
The Torp surname is both a reference to ancestry and a reminder of the rural Scandinavian roots of its bearers. It signifies a connection to a past of small villages and farms scattered throughout the Scandinavian countries. To many, it signifies a respect and pride for their cultural history and heritage.
Order DNA origin analysisTorp: Where does the name Torp come from?
The last name Torp is most commonly found in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. In Norway, it is the 72nd most common surname. In Sweden, it is the 172nd most common surname. In Denmark, it is the 417th most common surname.
The Torp surname likely comes from a place name known as Torpet. It is believed that it was a place name given to someone, and then passed down from generation to generation, eventually becoming a surname. However, there are a small number of Torps found in countries other than Scandinavia, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.
It is likely that descendants of Scandinavian immigrants who moved to these countries took their last name with them. In the US, most Torps live in Minnesota with a smaller population in Wisconsin. In Canada, Torps are mainly found in the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta, as well as parts of British Columbia.
Those of Scandinavian descent who have kept the Torp surname can generally expect to find others of the same family in Northern Europe, as well as the countries they have immigrated to. Today, the last name Torp can be found in many places, though it is most common in Scandinavia, the US, Canada, and Australia.
Variations of the surname Torp
The surname Torp is a variant of the Scandinavian and Germanic surname Thorpe, which refers to someone who originally lived in a hamlet or outlying settlement of a larger village. Its variants and spellings include: Thorp, Tharp, Thorpe, Tharpe, Torpe, Torp, Thorp, Torpey, Torpy, and Torppe. It is a geographic surname and typically was given to someone who had moved from one place to another and taken the new name of the settlement they settled in.
In Norway, the Torp spelling and variants are often associated with those hailing from a particular region in the country, with Torp originating from the southern and western parts. Those surnamed Thorp would most likely hail from the region of Aust-Agder, which is located in the south-eastern part of Norway. In Sweden, Torp was primarily found in the industrial region of Södermanland, Värmland and Västergötland.
In Germany, the surname Thorp is most commonly found in the regions of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. It is believed to have been adopted by migrants, as the name remains an occupational surname and could often refer to someone who worked in a threshing barn or a threshers cape.
There is also a connection between the surname Torp and the surname Torpy, which is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic O’Tuairpic, which originates from the Irish Clann Tuairpic (meaning “descendants of Tuairpic”). The Irish clan could have taken the name during the early medieval period, and is likely to have originated from the Western Isles of Scotland, or to have been brought over by early Christian missionaries from Northumbria and Lancashire.
Overall, the surname Torp has various origins and spellings, including Thorp, Tharp, Thorpe, Tharpe, Torpe, Torp, Thorp, Torpey, Torpy, and Torppe. It is a geographic surname with many regional and ethnic variants. It is also connected to the Irish surname Torpy, which is an Anglicized variation of the Gaelic O’Tuairpic.
Famous people with the name Torp
- Gunnhild Torp, Norwegian pop singer.
- Jan Egil Torp, Norwegian president of the International Ski Federation.
- Kari Torp, Norwegian actress.
- Kjell Torp, Norwegian poet and journalist.
- Marit Torp, Norwegian musician.
- Odd Torp, Norwegian poet and translator.
- Ola Torp, Norwegian politician.
- Per Christoffer Torp, Norwegian artist.
- Tiril Torp, Norwegian actress.
- Elenor Torp, American art historian and professor.
- Darek Torp, Polish slalom canoeist.
- Liz Torp, Canadian actress and stuntwoman.
- Mette Torp, Danish actress.
- Jonathan Torp, Danish architect.
- Ingeborg Torp, Swedish opera soprano.
- Erik Torp, Swedish musician.
- Linus Torp, Swedish movie, theatre and voice actor.
- Andreas Torp, Swedish Olympic soccer player.
- Anne-Marie Torp, British poet.
- Ters Torp, American artist and sculptor.