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

Caples, 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 Caples surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Caples in America

Caples is the 13640th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Caples surname appeared 2,221 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Caples.

We can also compare 2010 data for Caples 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 Caples

The surname Caples originates from the Gaelic language, and it is believed to have originated in Scotland during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Gaelic word "capall," which means "horse" or "mare." This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a nickname or a descriptive name to someone who worked with horses or had a particular affinity for them.

One of the earliest records of the name Caples can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the 13th century, where it appears as "Capel." This spelling variation highlights the evolving nature of surnames during that time, as they were often adapted based on regional dialects and pronunciation.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, including "Capyll" and "Capel," in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage rolls recording allegiances sworn to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners.

The surname Caples has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Caples in Lanarkshire and Caples in Perthshire. These place names likely derived from the same Gaelic root word and may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

One notable figure with the surname Caples was John Caples (1900-1990), an American advertising copywriter and author. He is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of direct response advertising and wrote several influential books on copywriting and marketing.

Another individual of historical significance was Sir John Caples (1714-1799), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Thetford in Norfolk, England. He served in various government positions and was knighted for his services.

In the 17th century, the name Caples appears in various records, including the Parish Registers of Kilbride, Lanarkshire, where a family by the name of Caples is mentioned.

Another notable figure was William Caples (1841-1917), an American politician and lawyer who served as the 17th Lieutenant Governor of West Virginia from 1897 to 1901.

Furthermore, the surname Caples can be found in various historical documents and records across Scotland, England, and later in North America, where many Scottish immigrants settled, bringing their surnames with them.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Caples

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

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

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

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