Belknap
An English surname often explained as meaning “good page” or “good youth,” though the old derivation is not entirely certain.
The #9,890 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 94,418 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname was traditionally explained by 19th-century writers as coming from a phrase meaning “fair page” or “good page,” with the first element linked to a word for “fair” or “beautiful” and the second to a page or attendant. In that older scholarly tradition, it was treated as a nickname surname rather than a place-name. The exact formation is uncertain, and some of the old interpretations are more suggestive than conclusive.
History
The name appears in English records and was discussed by surname compilers such as Dixon in the 19th century. It is now best known as an English surname that later spread to North America. Because the old etymology is partly conjectural, modern treatments usually present it cautiously rather than as a settled fact.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
An old dictionary glossed Belknap alongside surnames meaning “good fellow” and “good page,” showing how often medieval nicknames were interpreted through French-style wordplay.
From the historical record
“Belinfante, Fairchild, q. v. Bellerue, de, of Fine street. BELKNAP (01. N.), Bel knape, Fair page. {v. Bonvarlet.) BENTINCK (tU.), Bente's son. BENVICINI (Jt.), Good neighbors or citizens, or Sons of the good citizen, (v. dei Buonaguidi.) BERENDSOHN (©•), Son of Barnard, q. v. BERESFORD (€.), Bear's ford. Bereham…”
— Surnames