2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Caprari
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "capra," meaning goat or goatherd.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Caprari. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caprari 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Caprari in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caprari, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caprari
The surname Caprari originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "capraro," which means a goatherd or someone who tends to goats. This occupation-based surname likely emerged in the medieval period, when such occupations were common in rural areas.
The earliest recorded instances of the Caprari surname can be traced back to the 13th century in historical documents and records from various Italian towns and cities. For example, a Guglielmo Caprari was mentioned in a document from Reggio Emilia, dated 1287. Another early reference is to a Giacomo Caprari, who was a landowner in Parma in the late 14th century.
In the 15th century, the Caprari surname appears in several notable historical records. One such record is the Catasto Fiorentino, a tax census conducted in Florence in 1427, which lists several households with the Caprari surname. Another example is the Decime Pontificie, a Vatican record of tithes paid by clergy, which mentions a Giovanni Caprari, a priest in the Diocese of Piacenza, in 1476.
The Caprari surname also has ties to several place names in Italy. For instance, the village of Caprara d'Abruzzo, located in the Abruzzo region, likely derived its name from the Caprari family or the occupation of goatherding. Similarly, the town of Caprara di Campagna, in the province of Salerno, may have originated from the same root.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Caprari surname. One prominent figure was Girolamo Caprari (1567-1631), an Italian painter and architect from Bologna, known for his work on the Palazzo del Podestà and other buildings in his hometown. Another was Giovanni Battista Caprari (1717-1786), a renowned Italian mathematician and astronomer, who made significant contributions to celestial mechanics and the study of comets.
Other notable Capraris include Gian Domenico Caprari (1554-1627), an Italian composer and music theorist from Bergamo, and Pellegrino Caprari (1627-1717), an Italian architect and military engineer who worked on fortifications in various cities across Italy and Austria. Additionally, Vittorio Caprari (1854-1921) was an Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies in the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caprari
Among Census respondents with the surname Caprari, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Caprari 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 Caprari surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 8
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caprari
Caprari 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+8 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,293 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+5 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,690 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.6%) | Down 1,293 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.4%) | Up 2,690 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 Caprari 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 | #146,201 | #143,511 | 1.8% |
| Count | 113 | 118 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caprari bearers went from 113 to 118 (+4.4% change). The surname moved up 2,690 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #143,511.
FAQ
Caprari surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caprari?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Caprari. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Caprari?
Caprari ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Caprari. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Caprari.
Has Caprari become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caprari went from 113 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 5 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Caprari?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caprari, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Caprari in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caprari appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (6.8%), Black (1.7%). 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 Caprari (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 Caprari mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "capra," meaning goat or goatherd. 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 Caprari (0.04 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 share the surname Caprari?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.