Kaplan Family History
Kaplan Name Meaning
Jewish (Ashkenazic): surname sometimes used as a translation of Cohen from German Kaplan or Polish kapłan ‘chaplain curate’. German Swedish Czech Slovenian and Croatian; Slovak (Kaplán); Polish (Kapłan); Hungarian (Káplán): status name for a deacon chaplain or curate ultimately from Late Latin capellanus (see Chaplin ) or a nickname for someone resembling a clergyman. Turkish: ornamental name or nickname from kaplan ‘tiger’ possibly applied to someone thought to resemble a tiger typically in having indomitable courage or spirit. American shortened form of Greek Kaplanis from Turkish kaplan ‘tiger’ (see 3 above) or of any of its patronymics and other derivatives e.g. Kaplanidis and Kaplanoglou.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022