2000
#13,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,061
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Caples
Derived from a place name meaning "chapel" in Old French, likely referring to one who lived near a chapel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,352 Americans carry the last name Caples. That puts it at #14,062 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,729 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caples 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.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 145,729
Census rank
#14,062
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,051 bearers of the surname Caples in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14062nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caples, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.8%. The next largest groups are Black (30.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caples
Among Census respondents with the surname Caples, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.8%. The next largest groups are Black (30.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Caples 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 Caples surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.8% · 1,227
- Black or African American30.3% · 621
- Two or more races4.4% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caples
Caples appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,221
+160 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 118 places
2020
#14,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,051
-170 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 422 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,522 | 2,061 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,640 | 2,221 | 0.75 | +160 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 118 places |
| 2020 | #14,062 | 2,051 | 0.69 | -170 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 422 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 Caples 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 | #13,640 | #14,062 | -3.1% |
| Count | 2,221 | 2,051 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.69 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caples bearers went from 2,221 to 2,051 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 422 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,640 to #14,062.
FAQ
Caples surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caples?
Name Census estimates that about 2,352 living Americans carry the surname Caples. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,729 residents.
How common is Caples?
Caples ranks #14,062 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,051 people with the surname Caples. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,352), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Caples.
Has Caples become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caples went from 2,221 recorded bearers to 2,051. That is a decrease of 170 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,640 to #14,062.
What does the Census say about the background of Caples?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caples, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.8%. The next largest groups are Black (30.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Caples in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.8% (1,227 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caples appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.8%), Black (30.3%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Caples (2000, 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 Caples mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "chapel" in Old French, likely referring to one who lived near a chapel. 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 Caples (0.69 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 have the surname Caples?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.