2000
#14,612
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,868
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Capo
An Italian occupational surname referring to the head, chief, or boss.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,242 Americans carry the last name Capo. That puts it at #14,620 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,879 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Capo 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
2.2K
1 in 152,879
Census rank
#14,620
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,955 bearers of the surname Capo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14620th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Capo, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (44.7%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Capo
The surname CAPO is of Italian origin, derived from the Italian word 'capo,' meaning 'head' or 'chief.' It originated in various regions of Italy, including Sicily, Calabria, and Naples, where it was initially used as a nickname or a descriptive term for individuals who held leadership roles or positions of authority within their communities.
The earliest recorded instances of the CAPO surname can be traced back to the late 12th century, appearing in various documents and records from Southern Italy. One notable early reference is found in the "Codice Diplomatico Barese," a collection of diplomatic documents from the city of Bari, where a certain "Riccardo Capo" is mentioned in a document dated 1189.
Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, the CAPO surname was associated with various notable figures and families. In the 14th century, the Capo family of Naples was known for their involvement in the silk trade and held influential positions within the city's merchant guilds. One prominent member was Giacomo Capo (1310-1382), a successful silk merchant and influential figure in Neapolitan politics.
During the 15th century, the Capo surname gained prominence in Sicily, where the Capo family of Palermo held significant landholdings and played a role in the island's governance. Notably, Antonio Capo (1425-1498) served as a magistrate and advisor to the Aragonese rulers of Sicily.
In the 16th century, the CAPO surname spread to other regions of Italy, including Tuscany and Umbria. One notable figure from this period was the humanist scholar and poet Pietro Capo (1522-1591), born in Perugia, who gained recognition for his Latin poetry and translations of Greek works.
As the surname spread across Italy and into other parts of Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Cappo, Cappo, and Cappo, reflecting regional linguistic differences and scribal variations. Additionally, the surname was sometimes combined with place names, resulting in variants like Capoferro, Capobianco, and Capodanno.
Other notable individuals throughout history bearing the CAPO surname include:
1. Bartolomeo Capo (1594-1667), a Sicilian painter known for his religious works and portraits.
2. Gaspare Capo (1743-1823), an Italian composer and violinist from Naples.
3. Domenico Capo (1810-1892), an Italian sculptor from Palermo, renowned for his marble statues.
4. Giovanni Capo (1876-1942), an Italian-American artist and sculptor based in New York City.
5. Giuseppe Capo (1904-1977), an Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian Parliament.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Capo
Among Census respondents with the surname Capo, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (44.7%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Capo 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 Capo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.6% · 1,008
- Hispanic or Latino44.7% · 873
- Two or more races1.3% · 25
- Black or African American1.1% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Capo
Capo 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
#15,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,952
+84 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 505 places
2020
#14,620
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,955
+3 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 497 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,612 | 1,868 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,117 | 1,952 | 0.66 | +84 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 505 places |
| 2020 | #14,620 | 1,955 | 0.65 | +3 bearers (+0.2%) | Up 497 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 Capo 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 | #15,117 | #14,620 | 3.3% |
| Count | 1,952 | 1,955 | 0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.65 | -0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Capo bearers went from 1,952 to 1,955 (+0.2% change). The surname moved up 497 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,117 to #14,620.
FAQ
Capo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Capo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,242 living Americans carry the surname Capo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,879 residents.
How common is Capo?
Capo ranks #14,620 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,955 people with the surname Capo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,242), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Capo.
Has Capo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Capo went from 1,952 recorded bearers to 1,955. That is an increase of 3 (+0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,117 to #14,620.
What does the Census say about the background of Capo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Capo, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (44.7%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Capo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.6% (1,008 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Capo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.6%), Hispanic (44.7%), Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Capo (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 Capo mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to the head, chief, or boss. 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 Capo (0.65 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 Capo?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Capo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.