Find out how popular the last name Čapek is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Čapek.

Čapek, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Čapek surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Čapek in America

Čapek is the 41164th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Čapek surname appeared 529 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Čapek.

We can also compare 2010 data for Čapek to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Čapek

The surname Capek is of Czech origin, derived from the word "cap" meaning "rooster" or "cock." It is believed to have originated as a nickname or occupational name for someone who raised or dealt with roosters or worked as a poultry farmer.

The earliest known record of the Capek surname can be traced back to the 15th century in the region of Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic. The name appears in various historical documents and records from that time period, often spelled slightly differently, such as Czapek or Czapeck.

One notable historical reference to the Capek name is found in the Bohemian Land Records from the late 16th century, where a certain Jan Capek is mentioned as owning a small farm in the village of Lhota.

In the 18th century, the Capek surname gained prominence with the birth of Vaclav Matej Capek (1715-1782), a renowned Czech philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on ethics and moral philosophy.

Another famous bearer of the Capek name was Karel Capek (1890-1938), a celebrated Czech writer and playwright who is best known for introducing the word "robot" into the English language through his science fiction play "R.U.R."

Other noteworthy individuals with the Capek surname include:

1. Josef Capek (1887-1945), a Czech painter and writer, and the older brother of Karel Capek.
2. Jaroslav Capek (1903-1966), a Czech composer and conductor known for his orchestral and chamber works.
3. Milada Capkova (1898-1986), a Czech actress and wife of Karel Capek, who appeared in several films and stage productions.
4. Frantisek Capek (1914-2008), a Czech painter and graphic artist renowned for his abstract and surrealist works.
5. Jakub Capek (born 1982), a contemporary Czech novelist and screenwriter known for his critically acclaimed novel "Sladky zivot" (The Sweet Life).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Čapek

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Čapek.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Čapek was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Čapek has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Čapek was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Čapek, please contact us.

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