2000
#32,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 661
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Kapinos
A Greek surname likely derived from the word "kapnos" meaning "smoke" or from an occupational name relating to a smoker or chimney sweep.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 687 Americans carry the last name Kapinos. That puts it at #39,592 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 498,915 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kapinos 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
687
1 in 498,915
Census rank
#39,592
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
599
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 599 bearers of the surname Kapinos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 39592nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kapinos, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kapinos
The surname Kapinos originates from Poland, with its roots dating back to the early 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "kapina," meaning "small plot of land" or "parcel of land," suggesting that the name may have been initially associated with landowners or farmers.
During the medieval period, surnames were often derived from occupations, locations, or physical characteristics. In the case of Kapinos, it is likely that the name was initially given to individuals who owned or worked on small parcels of land.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Kapinos can be found in historical documents and parish records from the regions of Małopolska and Mazowsze in central Poland. These records often contain variations in spelling, such as Kapinosz, Kapinos, and Kapinosch, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal practices of the time.
One notable early bearer of the Kapinos surname was Jan Kapinos, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Kościelec near Kraków in the late 16th century. Records from this period provide valuable insights into the lives and occupations of those who carried the Kapinos name.
In the 18th century, the Kapinos surname gained prominence with the birth of Wojciech Kapinos (1735-1811), a renowned Polish artist and painter. His works, which included religious paintings and portraits, can still be found in churches and museums throughout Poland.
Another significant figure was Kazimierz Kapinos (1827-1901), a Polish writer and journalist who authored several novels and short stories that explored themes of rural life and social issues in 19th-century Poland.
The Kapinos surname also gained recognition beyond Poland's borders with the birth of Michał Kapinos (1881-1944), a Polish-American engineer and inventor. He is credited with developing several innovative mining technologies and held numerous patents in the United States.
In the 20th century, the name Kapinos continued to be carried by notable individuals, such as Andrzej Kapinos (1919-2003), a Polish-Canadian artist renowned for his landscape paintings depicting the natural beauty of Canada.
Throughout its history, the surname Kapinos has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, artists, writers, engineers, and inventors. While its origins can be traced back to the small landowners of early modern Poland, the name has since spread across different regions and countries, reflecting the diverse experiences and contributions of those who bear it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kapinos
Among Census respondents with the surname Kapinos, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kapinos 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 Kapinos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 559
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 14
- Two or more races2.3% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kapinos
Kapinos 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
#33,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 690
+29 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 421 places
2020
#39,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 599
-91 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 6,428 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,743 | 661 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33,164 | 690 | 0.23 | +29 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 421 places |
| 2020 | #39,592 | 599 | 0.20 | -91 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 6,428 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 Kapinos 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 | #33,164 | #39,592 | -19.4% |
| Count | 690 | 599 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.20 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kapinos bearers went from 690 to 599 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 6,428 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,164 to #39,592.
FAQ
Kapinos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kapinos?
Name Census estimates that about 687 living Americans carry the surname Kapinos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 498,915 residents.
How common is Kapinos?
Kapinos ranks #39,592 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 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 599 people with the surname Kapinos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (687), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 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 Kapinos.
Has Kapinos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kapinos went from 690 recorded bearers to 599. That is a decrease of 91 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #33,164 to #39,592.
What does the Census say about the background of Kapinos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kapinos, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Kapinos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (559 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kapinos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (2.3%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Kapinos (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 Kapinos mean?
A Greek surname likely derived from the word "kapnos" meaning "smoke" or from an occupational name relating to a smoker or chimney sweep. 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 Kapinos (0.20 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 have the last name Kapinos?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Kapinos? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.