2000
#13,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,014
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Caprio
From Italian, meaning "goat" or "capricious," likely referring to a goatherd or someone with an unpredictable nature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,045 Americans carry the last name Caprio. That puts it at #15,766 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,606 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caprio 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
2.0K
1 in 167,606
Census rank
#15,766
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,783 bearers of the surname Caprio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15766th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caprio, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caprio
The surname Caprio originated in Italy during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "capra," meaning goat, and likely referred to someone who raised or herded goats. The earliest recorded instances of the name trace back to regions such as Campania, Basilicata, and Calabria in southern Italy.
One of the earliest documented uses of the surname Caprio can be found in a 14th-century tax record from the town of Muro Lucano in the province of Potenza, Basilicata. This document lists a certain "Nicolo Caprio" as a resident of the town.
In the 16th century, there are records of a Caprio family residing in the town of Maratea, located in the province of Potenza. This branch of the family is believed to have produced several notable individuals, including a priest named Girolamo Caprio, who lived during the late 1500s.
The variation "Capri" is also found in historical documents, particularly in the Naples region. This spelling is thought to have originated from the famous island of Capri, located in the Gulf of Naples. One notable bearer of this variant was the philosopher and writer Gian Vincenzo Capri, who was born in Naples in 1536 and died in 1598.
Another early figure with the surname Caprio was Francesco Caprio, a painter active in Naples during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is known for his religious works, including frescoes in several churches in the city.
In the 19th century, a prominent Caprio family resided in the town of Montalbano Jonico, in the province of Matera, Basilicata. This family produced several notable individuals, including the lawyer and politician Vincenzo Caprio, who was born in 1832 and served as a member of the Italian Parliament.
Throughout history, the surname Caprio has also been associated with various place names in southern Italy, such as the town of Caprio in the province of Avellino, Campania, and the village of Caprio in the province of Potenza, Basilicata.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caprio
Among Census respondents with the surname Caprio, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Caprio 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 Caprio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 1,609
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 119
- Two or more races1.9% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caprio
Caprio 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
#15,090
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,955
-59 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 1,303 places
2020
#15,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,783
-172 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 676 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,787 | 2,014 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,090 | 1,955 | 0.66 | -59 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 1,303 places |
| 2020 | #15,766 | 1,783 | 0.60 | -172 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 676 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 Caprio 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 | #15,090 | #15,766 | -4.5% |
| Count | 1,955 | 1,783 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.60 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caprio bearers went from 1,955 to 1,783 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 676 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,090 to #15,766.
FAQ
Caprio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caprio?
Name Census estimates that about 2,045 living Americans carry the surname Caprio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,606 residents.
How common is Caprio?
Caprio ranks #15,766 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,783 people with the surname Caprio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,045), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Caprio.
Has Caprio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caprio went from 1,955 recorded bearers to 1,783. That is a decrease of 172 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,090 to #15,766.
What does the Census say about the background of Caprio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caprio, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Caprio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (1,609 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caprio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (6.7%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Caprio (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 Caprio mean?
From Italian, meaning "goat" or "capricious," likely referring to a goatherd or someone with an unpredictable nature. 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 Caprio (0.60 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 Americans have the surname Caprio?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.