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

Capitán, 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 Capitán surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Capitán in America

Capitán is the 61297th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Capitán surname appeared 328 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 Capitán.

We can also compare 2010 data for Capitán 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 Capitán

The surname Capitan originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "capitán," which means "captain" or "leader." The name likely referred to someone who held a military or commanding position.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Capitan can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document from 1253 that recorded the distribution of land and properties in the city of Seville after its conquest by the Christian forces. In this document, several individuals with the surname Capitan are mentioned, suggesting that the name was already in use by the mid-13th century.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name Capitan became more widespread in Spain, particularly in regions such as Andalusia and Castile. It is possible that some individuals with this surname were descendants of military personnel or nobility who held leadership roles during the Reconquista, the centuries-long campaign to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish rule.

One notable figure with the surname Capitan was Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga (1533-1594), a Spanish soldier and poet best known for his epic poem "La Araucana," which chronicled the Spanish conquest of Chile and the Arauco War. Ercilla y Zúñiga participated in the Chilean campaigns and his work is considered one of the most important literary works of the Spanish Renaissance.

Another prominent individual with the surname Capitan was Diego Capitan (born around 1590), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the expeditions of Hernando de Soto in Florida and the American Southeast in the 1530s and 1540s. Capitan played a significant role in these expeditions and left detailed accounts of his experiences.

In the early 17th century, Juan Capitan (dates unknown) was a Spanish playwright and poet who wrote several plays and works of poetry. While not as well-known as some of his contemporaries, Capitan's works provide insight into the literary and cultural life of Spain during the Golden Age.

The surname Capitan eventually spread beyond Spain to other parts of the Spanish Empire, including Latin America and the Philippines. As a result, individuals with this surname can be found in various parts of the world today, with concentrations in Spanish-speaking countries and regions with significant Hispanic populations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Capitán

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

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 Capitán 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 Capitán 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 Capitán was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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