2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Caplice
A surname potentially derived from an Irish place name or related to the occupational term "cáiplíse" meaning a clergyman or chanter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Caplice. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caplice 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Caplice in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caplice, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caplice
The surname CAPLICE originates from Ireland and is derived from the Irish Gaelic words "ceap" meaning tree stump and "lice" meaning a flat stone. It was originally a locational name given to someone who lived near a flat stone by a tree stump.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name dates back to the 16th century in County Cork, Ireland. The name was found in the Ulster Inquisitions of the 1650s which were records of landowners after the Irish Rebellion of 1641. It appeared as Capplis and Caplys in these records.
In the 17th century, the name was found in the Hearth Money Rolls of County Cork which were tax records based on the number of hearths or fireplaces in a house. The spellings included Caplish, Caplice, and Caplyce.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Caplice who was born in County Cork around 1680. He was a landowner and farmer in the parish of Kilworth.
Another early record is of Patrick Caplice who was born in County Cork in 1715. He was a soldier in the Irish Brigade of the French Army and fought in the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745.
In the 19th century, Michael Caplice was a prominent Irish politician. He was born in County Cork in 1830 and served as a member of the British Parliament for West Cork from 1874 to 1880.
A notable bearer of the name in the 20th century was John J. Caplice who was born in County Cork in 1912. He was a Catholic priest and educator who served as the President of St. John's University in New York from 1958 to 1965.
Another individual with the surname was Kieran Caplice who was born in County Cork in 1945. He was a professional golfer who won several tournaments on the European Tour in the 1970s and 1980s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caplice
Among Census respondents with the surname Caplice, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Caplice 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 Caplice surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 108
- Two or more races5.8% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caplice
Caplice 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,890 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 10,890 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Up 1,100 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 Caplice 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 | #143,149 | #142,049 | 0.8% |
| Count | 116 | 120 | 3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caplice bearers went from 116 to 120 (+3.4% change). The surname moved up 1,100 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #142,049.
FAQ
Caplice surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caplice?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Caplice. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Caplice?
Caplice ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Caplice. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Caplice.
Has Caplice become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caplice went from 116 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 4 (+3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #143,149 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Caplice?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caplice, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Caplice in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caplice appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Caplice (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 Caplice mean?
A surname potentially derived from an Irish place name or related to the occupational term "cáiplíse" meaning a clergyman or chanter. 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 Caplice (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 have the last name Caplice?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Caplice is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.