2000
#11,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,514
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Caplinger
Derived from a German topographic name for someone living near a chapel or a small church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,728 Americans carry the last name Caplinger. That puts it at #12,454 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,643 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caplinger 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
2.7K
1 in 125,643
Census rank
#12,454
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,379 bearers of the surname Caplinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12454th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caplinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caplinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Caplinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Caplinger 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 Caplinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 2,209
- Two or more races3.4% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 57
- Black or African American0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caplinger
Caplinger 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
#12,447
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,494
-20 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 958 places
2020
#12,454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,379
-115 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,489 | 2,514 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,447 | 2,494 | 0.85 | -20 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 958 places |
| 2020 | #12,454 | 2,379 | 0.80 | -115 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 7 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 Caplinger 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 | #12,447 | #12,454 | -0.1% |
| Count | 2,494 | 2,379 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.80 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caplinger bearers went from 2,494 to 2,379 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,447 to #12,454.
FAQ
Caplinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caplinger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,728 living Americans carry the surname Caplinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,643 residents.
How common is Caplinger?
Caplinger ranks #12,454 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,379 people with the surname Caplinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,728), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Caplinger.
Has Caplinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caplinger went from 2,494 recorded bearers to 2,379. That is a decrease of 115 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,447 to #12,454.
What does the Census say about the background of Caplinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caplinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Caplinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (2,209 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caplinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Caplinger (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 Caplinger mean?
Derived from a German topographic name for someone living near a chapel or a small church. 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 Caplinger (0.80 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 are called Caplinger?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Caplinger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.