The Tapley surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,264 people carried this name — #9,902 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 90,100 people counted. That is up 2% from 3,212 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Tapley surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Tapley’.

His entry covers Taplay and Tapley.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 737 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Tapley was found among the farmers of Cheshire: 9 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Cheshire 9

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In print

Tapley in American newspapers,
1911–1924.

Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name Tapley
The Birmingham Age-herald 1911-12-24
Newspaper page from Worcester Democrat And The Ledger-enterprise carrying the name Tapley
Worcester Democrat And The Ledger-enterprise 1924-05-24
Newspaper page from Baptist Courier carrying the name Tapley
Baptist Courier 1917-11-29

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 25,055 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Tapley in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

8,507 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Tapley. The most, 2,379, date from the 1890s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in South Australia, at 4.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 4,665
Victoria 1,378
New South Wales 1,366
Queensland 492
Western Australia 225
ACT (Canberra) 189
Tasmania 175

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Tapley.

Who carried it

People named Tapley,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Harold Livingstone Tapley
    Harold Livingstone Tapley 1875–1932 · politician
  • Rose Tapley
    Rose Tapley 1881–1956 · actor
  • Daisy Tapley
    Daisy Tapley 1882–1925 · opera singer
  • Colin Tapley
    Colin Tapley 1907–1995 · actor
  • Edward Charles Tapley d. 1884
  • Elizabeth Wolcott Tapley Torrey 1895–1992 · botanical collector

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Tapley,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States281 records

281 records of the Tapley name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 122
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 49
  • Other U.S. records 110
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Harvey A. Tapley

    Born 1907 in Texas. Enlisted 1941 at Santa Fe, New Mexico; farm hand from Torrance County, New Mexico. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1976, buried at Santa Fe National Cemetery, New Mexico.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Thomas L. Tapley

    Born 1931; from Knox County, Indiana. U.S. Army, tank crewman; died of wounds 1950 in South Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record James H. Tapley

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Scythia from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 60; bricklayer. From Liverpool, England; bound for Massachusetts.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 281 records for Tapley in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia91 records

91 records of the Tapley name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 78
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 5
  • Other Australian records 8
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Tapley

    Arrived in Victoria in 1857 aboard the Hotspur, aged 30; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Harold L. Tapley

    Company manager of New Zealand, Victoria; died 1932.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Biographical index Mary Tapley

    Died 1994; obituary published in Western Australia.

    State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 91 records for Tapley in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada27 records

27 records of the Tapley name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 8
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 6
  • Other Canadian records 13
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Alexander Gibson Tapley

    Buried in 1962 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 80.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Annie Belle Tapley

    Died 1948 in Dartmouth, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Bernard Cyril Tapley

    Died in service in 1916.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 27 records for Tapley in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom6 records

6 records of the Tapley name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record T. Tapley

    King's Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record C. Tapley

    Royal Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record M. Tapley

    Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Tapley in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand5 records

5 records of the Tapley name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 4
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Kathleen Paterson Tapley

    Died 1996, aged 75; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Robert Tapley

    Buried in 1905 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 97.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Kate Tapley

    Died 1980, aged 74; buried at Belfast Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Tapley in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands4 records

4 records of the Tapley name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Margaret Ann Tapley

    Born 1825 in Vlissingen.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Hannah Tapley

    Born 1836 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Elizabeth Tapley

    Born 1821 in Vlissingen.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Tapley in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Tapley.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Tapley is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Tapley volume
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