2000
#12,911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,183
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Capasso
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who made cloaks, derived from the Italian word "cappa" meaning "cloak."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,095 Americans carry the last name Capasso. That puts it at #15,448 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,606 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Capasso 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.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 163,606
Census rank
#15,448
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,827 bearers of the surname Capasso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15448th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Capasso, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Capasso
The surname Capasso has its origins in Italy, specifically in the region of Campania. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "capa," which means "head" or "leader," and the suffix "-asso," indicating a characteristic or quality. Thus, the name Capasso can be interpreted as "the headman" or "the leader."
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Capasso can be found in the documents of the city of Naples, dating back to the 13th century. During this time, the name was often spelled as "Capasio" or "Capasso." It is likely that the name was initially associated with individuals who held positions of authority or leadership within their respective communities.
The Capasso surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest known figures was Pietro Capasso, a prominent jurist and legal scholar who lived in Naples during the 15th century (c. 1430-1498). Another notable figure was Niccolò Capasso, a renowned painter and architect who was active in Naples in the late 16th and early 17th centuries (c. 1570-1639).
In the 18th century, the Capasso family produced several influential members, including Francesco Capasso (1738-1816), a renowned philosopher and theologian, and Raffaele Capasso (1749-1825), a celebrated poet and playwright. During this period, the name Capasso also appeared in various official records and documents across southern Italy.
The 19th century saw the rise of another prominent figure, Bartolomeo Capasso (1815-1900), a distinguished historian and archaeologist who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Roman and Greek civilizations. His works, including "Le antichità di Capua" (The Antiquities of Capua), are still widely referenced today.
As the Capasso surname spread throughout Italy and beyond, it has been carried by numerous other notable individuals, including the 20th-century physicist and Nobel laureate Renato Capasso (1932-2020), as well as the contemporary Italian writer and journalist Anna Capasso (born 1964).
While the name Capasso has maintained a strong presence in its region of origin, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of Italy, as well as in countries with significant Italian diaspora populations, such as the United States, Argentina, and Brazil.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Capasso
Among Census respondents with the surname Capasso, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Capasso 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 Capasso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 1,681
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 99
- Two or more races1.8% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Capasso
Capasso 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
#14,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,053
-130 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 1,612 places
2020
#15,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,827
-226 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 925 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,911 | 2,183 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,523 | 2,053 | 0.70 | -130 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 1,612 places |
| 2020 | #15,448 | 1,827 | 0.61 | -226 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 925 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 Capasso 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 | #14,523 | #15,448 | -6.4% |
| Count | 2,053 | 1,827 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.61 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Capasso bearers went from 2,053 to 1,827 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 925 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,523 to #15,448.
FAQ
Capasso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Capasso?
Name Census estimates that about 2,095 living Americans carry the surname Capasso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,606 residents.
How common is Capasso?
Capasso ranks #15,448 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,827 people with the surname Capasso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,095), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Capasso.
Has Capasso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Capasso went from 2,053 recorded bearers to 1,827. That is a decrease of 226 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,523 to #15,448.
What does the Census say about the background of Capasso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Capasso, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Capasso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (1,681 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Capasso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (5.4%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Capasso (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 Capasso mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who made cloaks, derived from the Italian word "cappa" meaning "cloak." 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 Capasso (0.61 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 share the surname Capasso?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.