2000
#1,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,013
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.68
Uncommon Last name
Capps
Derived from the Middle English word "cappe," referring to a maker or seller of caps or hats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,850 Americans carry the last name Capps. That puts it at #2,041 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,267 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Capps 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Capps with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,267
Census rank
#2,041
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,310 bearers of the surname Capps in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2041st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Capps, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Capps
Among Census respondents with the surname Capps, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Capps 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 Capps surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 15,535
- Two or more races4.8% · 823
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 461
- Black or African American1.4% · 248
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 142
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 101
Timeline
Historical Census data for Capps
Capps 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
#1,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,194
+181 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 6.17
Rank movement Down 153 places
2020
#2,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,310
-884 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 5.79
Rank movement Down 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,830 | 18,013 | 6.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,983 | 18,194 | 6.17 | +181 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 153 places |
| 2020 | #2,041 | 17,310 | 5.79 | -884 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 58 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 Capps 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 | #1,983 | #2,041 | -2.9% |
| Count | 18,194 | 17,310 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 6.17 | 5.79 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Capps bearers went from 18,194 to 17,310 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,983 to #2,041.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Capps
FAQ
Capps surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Capps?
Name Census estimates that about 19,850 living Americans carry the surname Capps. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,267 residents.
How common is Capps?
Capps ranks #2,041 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,310 people with the surname Capps. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,850), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Capps.
Has Capps become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Capps went from 18,194 recorded bearers to 17,310. That is a decrease of 884 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,983 to #2,041.
What does the Census say about the background of Capps?
Among Census respondents with the surname Capps, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Capps in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (15,535 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Capps appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Capps (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 Capps mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "cappe," referring to a maker or seller of caps or hats. 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 Capps (5.79 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 have the last name Capps?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Capps, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.