Capito
An occupational surname Italian in origin meaning "commander" or "captain".
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 651 Americans carry the last name Capito. That puts it at #38,948 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 526,504 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Capito surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
651
1 in 526,504
Census rank
#38,948
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
566
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 566 bearers of the surname Capito in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38948th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Capito, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.5%) and Black (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Capito
The surname Capito originated in Italy during the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word 'caput', meaning head or leader, suggesting that the earliest bearers may have held positions of authority or leadership roles within their communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Regni Siciliae, a collection of medieval documents from southern Italy, dating back to the 12th century. Here, a certain "Robertus Capito" is mentioned as a witness to a legal transaction.
In the 13th century, a prominent family bearing the name Capito resided in the city of Arezzo, Tuscany. Historical records from this period refer to a "Guido Capito" who served as a magistrate and played a significant role in the city's political affairs.
The name Capito also appeared in the Florentine Codex, a 16th-century ethnographic work chronicling the history and culture of the Aztec people. One of its authors was a Franciscan friar named Bernardino de Sahagún, whose birth name was Bernardino Ribera de Capito (1499-1590).
During the Renaissance, a notable figure bearing the surname Capito was Wolfgang Fabricius Capito (1478-1541), a German Renaissance humanist, theologian, and reformer who played a crucial role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Galeazzo Capito (1580-1638), an Italian painter and engraver from the Baroque period, known for his religious and mythological works.
In the 19th century, a distinguished bearer of the name was Giovanni Battista Capito (1824-1897), an Italian lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the Minister of Public Education in the Kingdom of Italy.
The surname Capito has also been found in various regions of Italy, such as Campania, Lazio, and Lombardy, with slight variations in spelling, including Capitone and Capitoni.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Capito
Among Census respondents with the surname Capito, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.5%) and Black (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Capito bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Capito surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.5%
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.5%
- Black or African American5.3%
- Hispanic or Latino3.5%
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8%
- Two or more races1.4%
Year on year
2010 vs 2010 Census
How has the Capito surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2010 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #38,948 | #38,948 | 0.0% |
| Count | 566 | 566 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.19 | 0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2010 Census, the number of Capito bearers went from 566 to 566 (+0.0% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, going from #38,948 to #38,948.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Capito
FAQ
Capito surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Capito?
The surname Capito holds position #38,948 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 651 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Capito surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Capito, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.5%) and Black (5.3%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.