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

Caplinger, 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 Caplinger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Caplinger in America

Caplinger is the 12447th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Caplinger surname appeared 2,494 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 Caplinger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Caplinger 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 Caplinger

The surname Caplinger is believed to have originated in Germany, dating back to the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "kappel," meaning a small chapel or sanctuary, and the suffix "-inger," indicating a place of origin or residence. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near or was associated with a small chapel or religious establishment.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Caplinger name can be found in the records of the town of Hesse, Germany, where a certain Johannes Caplinger was documented as a resident in the year 1592. It is likely that this individual or his ancestors were among the first to bear the surname.

In the 17th century, the Caplinger name began to appear in various German parish registers and official documents. For instance, a record from the town of Wetzlar in 1632 mentions a Georg Caplinger, who was a local landowner. Another notable mention is found in the Chronicles of the City of Mainz, which references a merchant named Hans Caplinger in the year 1671.

As the Caplinger family spread across different regions of Germany, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Kapplinger, Kappelinger, and Kapplenger. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during that time period.

One of the earliest known individuals to bear the Caplinger name in North America was Johann Georg Caplinger, who immigrated to Pennsylvania from the Palatinate region of Germany in the early 18th century. He settled in what is now Berks County and established a successful farming community.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Caplinger surname. One such person was Friedrich Caplinger (1751-1822), a German philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on the principles of natural law and ethics. Another was Maria Caplinger (1810-1888), a renowned opera singer from Bavaria who performed in many of the major opera houses across Europe.

In the United States, one of the most prominent figures with the Caplinger name was William Caplinger (1835-1911), a Civil War veteran and politician who served as a Congressman from Indiana in the late 19th century. Additionally, John Caplinger (1870-1942), an American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Caplinger Foundation, which supported various educational and charitable initiatives.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Caplinger

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

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

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

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