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

Captain, 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 Captain surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Captain in America

Captain is the 21811th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Captain surname appeared 1,192 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 Captain.

We can also compare 2010 data for Captain 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 Captain

The surname CAPTAIN is an English occupational name derived from the Old French word "capitain", which in turn comes from the Late Latin "capitaneus", meaning "chief" or "leader". This name likely originated in the late 12th or early 13th century during the era of the Crusades, when English knights and soldiers would have adopted the title of "Captain" as a surname to reflect their military rank or position.

The earliest recorded instances of the CAPTAIN surname can be found in various English records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is Roger le Capitayn, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1230. Another early bearer of the name was John le Capitaine, who was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1279.

As an occupational name, CAPTAIN would have initially been given to individuals who held the rank or position of captain in the military or naval forces. Over time, the surname may have also been adopted by those who worked in other professions that required leadership or authority, such as merchant ships or trading companies.

One of the most famous historical figures with the surname CAPTAIN was Sir William CAPTAIN, an English naval officer and explorer who lived from 1575 to 1639. He is best known for his voyages to the East Indies and his role in establishing English trade and settlements in the region.

Another notable bearer of the CAPTAIN surname was John CAPTAIN, an English politician and Member of Parliament who lived from 1615 to 1695. He served as the MP for Lincolnshire and was a prominent figure during the English Civil War, supporting the Parliamentarian cause.

In the 18th century, there was a Scottish poet and playwright named Richard CAPTAIN, who lived from 1708 to 1783. He is best known for his play "The Shipwreck", which was performed at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, London, in 1755.

During the American Revolutionary War, there was a Continental Army officer named Benjamin CAPTAIN, who served as a lieutenant colonel and fought in several battles, including the Battle of Monmouth in 1778.

In the 19th century, a notable figure with the CAPTAIN surname was William CAPTAIN, an English architect and engineer who lived from 1818 to 1901. He was known for his work on several important infrastructure projects, including the construction of the London Underground railway system.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Captain

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

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

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

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