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

Caporal, 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 Caporal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Caporal in America

Caporal is the 75564th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Caporal surname appeared 255 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Caporal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Caporal 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 Caporal

The surname Caporal has its origins in France, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the French word "caporal," which means "corporal" or a non-commissioned officer in the army. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who held this military rank or was associated with the military in some way.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Caporal can be found in the parish records of Normandy, where a certain Jean Caporal was mentioned in 1587. The name also appears in various other French records and documents from the 16th and 17th centuries, such as tax rolls, census records, and court proceedings.

In the 18th century, the name Caporal gained some prominence when a French soldier named François Caporal distinguished himself in the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1785 in Marseille and served under Napoleon Bonaparte, eventually rising to the rank of colonel. His military exploits earned him recognition and helped to further establish the name in France.

Another notable individual with the surname Caporal was Pierre Caporal, a French artist who lived in the 19th century. He was born in 1813 in Lyon and is best known for his landscape paintings, which often depicted scenic views of the French countryside.

In the 20th century, the name Caporal continued to be found in various parts of France, particularly in the regions of Normandy, Brittany, and the Rhône-Alpes region. One notable figure was Jean-Paul Caporal, a French writer and philosopher who was born in 1923 in Marseille. He authored several books on philosophy and ethics and was a respected figure in French intellectual circles.

Aside from France, the name Caporal also has a presence in other parts of Europe, such as Belgium and Switzerland, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries. In Belgium, for example, there was a notable figure named Léon Caporal, who was born in 1878 and served as the mayor of the city of Liège from 1920 to 1926.

Overall, the surname Caporal has a rich history that can be traced back to France, with its origins rooted in the military and a connection to the rank of corporal. While it may not be as widespread as some other French surnames, it has produced notable individuals across various fields throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Caporal

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

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

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

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