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

Chapel, 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 Chapel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chapel in America

Chapel is the 13300th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chapel surname appeared 2,293 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Chapel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chapel 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 Chapel

The surname Chapel originated in England during the Anglo-Norman period. It is derived from the Old French word "chapel", which itself stems from the Late Latin "cappella", meaning a cloak or cape. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a small chapel or church.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England after the Norman Conquest, there are several references to places with the word "chapel" in their names, such as Chapel-en-le-Frith in Derbyshire. This suggests that the surname was already in use by this time.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Chapel can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a William de Capella is mentioned. The "de" prefix indicates he was from a place called Chapel or Capella.

In the 13th century, a Walter de la Chapele is recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1273. This spelling variation demonstrates the evolution of the name over time.

Sir John Chapel (c. 1380-1462) was a notable figure who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1443. He was a wealthy merchant and landowner.

Another early bearer of the name was William Chapel (c. 1490-1549), who was appointed as the Bishop of Carlisle in 1537 by King Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, a family named Chapel owned land in the village of Stamford, Lincolnshire. Richard Chapel (c. 1520-1588) was a member of this family and served as the Sheriff of Lincolnshire.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Samuel Chapel (c. 1618-1676) was a Puritan preacher and supporter of Oliver Cromwell. He was known for his fiery sermons against the monarchy.

In the late 18th century, John Chapel (1739-1808) was a prominent architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chapel

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

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

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

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