2010
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Capewell
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "the cold spring".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Capewell. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Capewell 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 Capewell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Capewell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Capewell, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Capewell
The surname Capewell is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "cap" and "well," which combined to refer to a spring or well located near a headland or promontory. This name likely originated in the county of Staffordshire, England, during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Capewell surname appears in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272, where a Richard de Capewell is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already established in the region by the 13th century.
In the late 16th century, records show a Nicholas Capewell residing in the parish of Norbury, Staffordshire. He was a landowner and is believed to have been a descendant of the earlier Capewells from the same area.
The Capewell name is also found in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Staffordshire in the late 17th century, suggesting that the family had maintained a presence in the county over several centuries.
A notable figure bearing this surname was Sir William Capewell (1590-1649), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland from 1639 to 1641. He was born in Shropshire and had connections to the Capewell family of Staffordshire.
Another individual of note was John Capewell (1714-1781), a British artist and engraver who specialized in portraiture and biblical scenes. He was born in Gloucestershire and is believed to have been a descendant of the Capewells from the west of England.
In the 19th century, a certain Henry Capewell (1825-1895) made a name for himself as a successful industrialist and inventor in Connecticut, United States. He had emigrated from England and founded the Capewell Horse Nail Company, which became a leading manufacturer of horse nails and other metalwork products.
The Capewell surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Capewell Hill in Staffordshire and Capewell Lane in Cheshire, further reinforcing its geographic origins and connections to the region.
Overall, the surname Capewell has a rich history rooted in the English counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, and Cheshire, with traceable records dating back to the 13th century. It has been borne by notable individuals in fields ranging from law and art to industry and manufacturing.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Capewell
Among Census respondents with the surname Capewell, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Capewell 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 Capewell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 108
- Two or more races6.0% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Capewell
Capewell appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-10 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,165 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 11,165 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 Capewell 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 | #133,863 | #145,028 | -8.3% |
| Count | 126 | 116 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Capewell bearers went from 126 to 116 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 11,165 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #145,028.
FAQ
Capewell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Capewell?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Capewell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Capewell?
Capewell ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Capewell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Capewell.
Has Capewell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Capewell went from 126 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 10 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Capewell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Capewell, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Capewell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Capewell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (6.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Capewell (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 Capewell mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "the cold spring". 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 Capewell (0.04 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 are called Capewell?
If you just want to know how common the surname Capewell is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.