Wappinger
/ˈwɒpɪŋər/noun
A member of an Indigenous Algonquian-speaking people historically inhabiting parts of the Hudson River Valley.
Did you know?The Wappinger were not a single centralized nation in the European sense, but a network of related communities whose name was recorded in several colonial spellings.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-colonial period
Munsee
Uncertain; possibly related to an Algonquian form recorded as wápink-
“The original Indigenous form and meaning are disputed; proposed interpretations include connections with regional or animal names.”
17th Century
Dutch
Wappinck / Wapping
“Colonial Dutch forms used for an Indigenous people living along the Hudson River and neighboring areas.”
17th Century
English
Wappinger
“English-language adaptation of Dutch colonial spellings for the people and their territory.”
18th–19th Century
English
Wappinger
“A historical ethnonym used in colonial records and later histories of the Hudson Valley.”
Modern English
English
Wappinger
“A historical and ethnographic name referring to the Indigenous people, their communities, or their former homeland.”