2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kapanke
A German surname derived from the word "kapanka," meaning a small tavern or inn.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Kapanke. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kapanke 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Kapanke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kapanke, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kapanke
The surname Kapanke has its origins in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "kape," which means a small, hooded cloak or cape. This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who made or sold capes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kapanke can be found in the church records of the town of Mügeln, in the region of Saxony, Germany, where a certain Hans Kapanke was mentioned in 1568. It is likely that this was the place of origin for the name, and the family may have resided in the area for generations before that.
In the 17th century, the spelling of the name varied, with variations such as Kapanek, Kapaneck, and Kapanecke appearing in various documents. This was not uncommon during that time, as standardized spellings were not yet established.
While the name Kapanke does not appear in the famous Domesday Book, which was a survey of land ownership in England conducted in 1086, it does have a presence in other historical records. One notable example is Johann Kapanke, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1668 to 1743. He was known for his work on natural theology and his contributions to the philosophical discourse of his time.
Another significant figure with the Kapanke surname was Friedrich Kapanke, a German military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1785 and rose to the rank of Major General in the Prussian Army. His military exploits and leadership during several battles earned him recognition and praise from his contemporaries.
In the 19th century, the Kapanke name can be found in various records across Germany, with concentrations in the regions of Saxony, Brandenburg, and Prussia. One notable individual from this period was Wilhelm Kapanke, a German artist and painter who was born in 1826 and died in 1893. His works, primarily landscapes and portraits, were widely acclaimed during his lifetime and are still appreciated by art enthusiasts today.
Another prominent bearer of the Kapanke name was Karl Kapanke, a German engineer and industrialist who lived from 1862 to 1928. He was instrumental in the development of early automotive technology and founded the Kapanke Automobile Company, which produced some of the first gasoline-powered vehicles in Germany.
In the 20th century, the name continued to be present in various parts of Germany, and some individuals with the surname Kapanke made their mark in different fields. One such person was Gerhard Kapanke, a German philosopher and academic who lived from 1904 to 1988. He was known for his work on existentialism and his contributions to the field of phenomenology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kapanke
Among Census respondents with the surname Kapanke, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kapanke 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 Kapanke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino10.2% · 10
- Two or more races3.1% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kapanke
Kapanke 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,612 places
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-12 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,874 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 12,612 places |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 6,874 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 Kapanke 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 | #149,395 | #156,269 | -4.6% |
| Count | 110 | 98 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kapanke bearers went from 110 to 98 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 6,874 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #156,269.
FAQ
Kapanke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kapanke?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Kapanke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Kapanke?
Kapanke ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 98 people with the surname Kapanke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kapanke.
Has Kapanke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kapanke went from 110 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Kapanke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kapanke, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Kapanke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (83 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kapanke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Hispanic (10.2%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Kapanke (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 Kapanke mean?
A German surname derived from the word "kapanka," meaning a small tavern or inn. 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 Kapanke (0.03 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 common is the surname Kapanke?
See how many people have the last name Kapanke on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.