2000
#11,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,439
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Cabe
Derived from the Old Norse byname "Kabi," meaning a person with a hooked nose or a big mouth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,602 Americans carry the last name Cabe. That puts it at #12,946 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cabe surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cabe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 131,727
Census rank
#12,946
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,269 bearers of the surname Cabe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12946th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cabe, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cabe
The surname Cabe originates from the Celtic region of Britain, specifically in the area now known as Wales. It is believed to have derived from the Welsh word "cab," which means a dry outer covering or husk. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with husks or had a connection to agricultural activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cabe can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England and parts of Wales commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Cabe in the county of Monmouthshire, which was then considered part of the Welsh Marches.
During the Middle Ages, the name Cabe appeared in various historical records and documents across Wales and the border regions with England. In the 14th century, a Welsh poet named Llywelyn Cabe gained recognition for his works celebrating Welsh culture and traditions.
In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was John Cabe, a merchant and landowner from Pembrokeshire, Wales. He was influential in the local community and served as a justice of the peace during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
The 17th century saw the rise of Sir Hugh Cabe, a Welsh soldier and politician who fought in the English Civil War on the side of the Parliamentarians. He later became a member of the Council of State under Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate.
In the 19th century, William Cabe, born in Carmarthenshire, Wales, in 1822, made significant contributions to the field of agriculture. He was a pioneering farmer who introduced new techniques and methods for improving crop yields and livestock management.
Throughout its history, the Cabe surname has been associated with various place names in Wales, such as Cabedu, Caberllwyd, and Caberuddyn, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cabe
Among Census respondents with the surname Cabe, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cabe bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cabe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.7% · 1,809
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.6% · 194
- Two or more races4.5% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 72
- Black or African American2.4% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cabe
Cabe appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,538
+99 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 492 places
2020
#12,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,269
-269 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 691 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,763 | 2,439 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,255 | 2,538 | 0.86 | +99 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 492 places |
| 2020 | #12,946 | 2,269 | 0.76 | -269 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 691 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cabe surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,255 | #12,946 | -5.6% |
| Count | 2,538 | 2,269 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.76 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cabe bearers went from 2,538 to 2,269 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 691 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,255 to #12,946.
FAQ
Cabe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cabe?
Name Census estimates that about 2,602 living Americans carry the surname Cabe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,727 residents.
How common is Cabe?
Cabe ranks #12,946 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,269 people with the surname Cabe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,602), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cabe.
Has Cabe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cabe went from 2,538 recorded bearers to 2,269. That is a decrease of 269 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,255 to #12,946.
What does the Census say about the background of Cabe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cabe, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cabe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.7% (1,809 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cabe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.6%), Two or More Races (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cabe (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cabe mean?
Derived from the Old Norse byname "Kabi," meaning a person with a hooked nose or a big mouth. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cabe (0.76 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Cabe?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Cabe on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.