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

Capps, 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 Capps surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Capps in America

Capps is the 1983rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Capps surname appeared 18,194 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Capps.

We can also compare 2010 data for Capps 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 Capps

The surname Capps is believed to have originated in England, with its roots traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "cappe," which referred to a type of hooded cloak or cape worn by medieval peasants and farmers. This connection suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive surname, given to someone who was known for wearing such a garment.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Richard Cappe." This document, compiled during the reign of King Edward I, was a survey of landholdings and feudal obligations throughout England. The presence of the name in this record indicates that the Capps surname had already established itself by that time.

In the 14th century, the name was also documented in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, where it appeared as "John Cappe." These rolls were tax records used to collect subsidies from the populace to support the king's military campaigns. The inclusion of the name in these historical documents underscores its longevity and prevalence throughout medieval England.

As time passed, the spelling of the name evolved, with variants such as "Cappes" and "Capps" becoming more common. This evolution likely occurred due to regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling conventions in those times. The modern spelling of "Capps" is believed to have emerged in the 16th or 17th century.

Notable individuals bearing the Capps surname include Sir William Capps (1589-1649), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1628. Another prominent figure was John Capps (1668-1737), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious treatises and sermons.

In the 19th century, William Capps (1805-1873) gained recognition as a prominent English architect, responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Waterloo.

Samuel Capps (1824-1901) was an American businessman and politician from Virginia, who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates during the Reconstruction era after the American Civil War.

More recently, Michael Capps (born 1972) is an American video game developer and former president of Epic Games, known for his contributions to popular game franchises like Gears of War and Unreal Tournament.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Capps

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

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

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

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