South German: from Middle High German zapfe ‘bung’ ‘stopper’ hence a metonymic occupational name for a taverner or perhaps a nickname for an inebriate.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022
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Where is the Zapf family from?
You can see how Zapf families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Zapf family name was found in the USA, and the UK between 1840 and 1920. The most Zapf families were found in USA in 1920. In 1840 there was 1 Zapf family living in New Jersey. This was 100% of all the recorded Zapf's in USA. New Jersey had the highest population of Zapf families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Zapf surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
In 1940, Salesman and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Zapf. 11% of Zapf men worked as a Salesman and 24% of Zapf women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Zapf were Truck Driver and Principal. .
Between 1955 and 2004, in the United States, Zapf life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1955, and highest in 1987. The average life expectancy for Zapf in 1955 was 29, and 80 in 2004.