2 Answers

1. German, Polish, and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): from Middle High German karp(f)e, Middle Low German karpe, or Slavic (Russian and Polish) and Yiddish karp ‘carp’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a carp fisherman or seller of these fish, or a nickname for someone thought to resemble the fish. As a Jewish surname it is often of ornamental origin.
2. Polish, Russian, and German: from a reduced vernacular form of the Greek saint’s name Polykarpos (meaning ‘rich in fruit’), or Karponios (from Greek karpos ‘fruit’, a word with mystical connotations among early Christians). This was the name of an early Christian leader said to have known the Apostle John. In the Orthodox Church he is believed to have been a bishop and is revered as a saint.


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