The Clapp/Clap family appears to have originated in southwestern England. Records of family members probably began to appear there in the 15th century. English settlements common to the family include:
- Dorchester, Dorset
- Hartford, Devon
- Salcombe, Devon
- Salcombe Regis, Devon
- Sidbury, Devon
- Sidmouth, Devon
Some family members migrated out of England in the 17th century. Colonial settlements common to those members in the 17th century include:
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Dorchester (now part of Boston), Massachusetts
earliest family member in the Geni database: _ Clapp
[NOTABLE CLAPPS]
- Jack Clapp, 2nd husband of Eric Clapton's maternal grandmother Rose Mitchell
[FAMILY MEMBERS NOT YET IN THE DATABASE]
- James Clapp of Woodbury and Sidbury
- John Clapp (of Sidbury?), who married Mary Irish of the Irish family of Sidbury