Reep
An occupational or nickname-based surname that may relate to rope-making or a rope-like strap, though the exact English origin is not fully certain.
The #8,529 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 80,027 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Reep is most plausibly connected with a word for a rope, cord, or strap. In Dutch, a "reep" is a flat plaited rope, and one historical source also links related forms to rope-making terms such as Reepslager. Another source treats Reep as a short surname form alongside older English and German name-forms, so the exact derivation in each family may differ. In English contexts it may also have been influenced by older words for a strip or band, or by shortened forms of similar-sounding surnames.
History
The name appears in historical surname lists in English and Dutch material, but the surviving excerpts do not give a single agreed derivation. Its presence in records from the late 19th and early 20th century suggests it was already recognized as a distinct surname form by that period. Modern bearers are relatively uncommon in the United States, which fits a name with limited regional or immigrant distribution.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A related Dutch compound, Reepmaker, is an old occupational term connected with making rope or rope-like products.
From the historical record
“Ream. N. Hreimr ; n.n. (noisy) ; £ Reimers: Dch. Riem, Reimers; p.r Reap. A.S. Rip; Dch. Reep; ; p.n. See Ribbans Rearden. From Ruardean ; a loc n., Glost. Or see Riordan Reasley. See Risley”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)