2000
#1,090
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,410
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.90
Uncommon Last name
Kaplan
A Jewish occupational surname referring to a chaplain, spiritual leader, or priest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 31,681 Americans carry the last name Kaplan. That puts it at #1,254 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,819 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kaplan 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kaplan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,819
Census rank
#1,254
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 27,627 bearers of the surname Kaplan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1254th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaplan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kaplan
The surname Kaplan originated in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe, primarily in Poland and Russia. Its roots can be traced back to the Hebrew word "Kohen," which refers to members of the priestly class descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, many Jewish communities in Eastern Europe were required to adopt surnames for official records and taxation purposes. The name Kaplan, derived from the German word "Kaplan" meaning "chaplain" or "priest," was commonly adopted by those of Kohen descent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kaplan can be found in the 1784 census of the Minsk Governorate (now part of Belarus), where several families with the surname Kaplan were listed. It is likely that these families had adopted the name in response to the Russian Empire's decree requiring Jews to take surnames.
In the 19th century, as Jewish communities in Eastern Europe faced increasing persecution and economic hardship, many Kaplans immigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas, contributing to the global spread of the surname.
Notable historical figures with the surname Kaplan include:
1. Mordecai Kaplan (1881-1983), a Lithuanian-born American rabbi and philosopher who founded the Reconstructionist movement in Judaism.
2. Golda Kaplan (later Meir) (1898-1978), an Israeli politician and teacher who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974.
3. Abraham Kaplan (1918-1993), an American philosopher and educator who made significant contributions to the field of philosophy of science.
4. Irving Kaplan (1902-1969), an American mobster and associate of Meyer Lansky, known for his involvement in the National Crime Syndicate.
5. Anatole Kaplan (1835-1919), a Russian-born American artist and painter who is renowned for his landscapes and seascapes.
While the surname Kaplan has its roots in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe, it has since become a prominent name across various cultures and regions, reflecting the global diaspora of Jewish populations and the assimilation of the name into various societies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaplan
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaplan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kaplan 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 Kaplan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 25,465
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 1,048
- Two or more races2.2% · 609
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 317
- Black or African American0.6% · 173
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kaplan
Kaplan 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
#1,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,582
+172 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 10.03
Rank movement Down 106 places
2020
#1,254
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,627
-1,955 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 9.24
Rank movement Down 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,090 | 29,410 | 10.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,196 | 29,582 | 10.03 | +172 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 106 places |
| 2020 | #1,254 | 27,627 | 9.24 | -1,955 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 58 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 Kaplan 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 | #1,196 | #1,254 | -4.8% |
| Count | 29,582 | 27,627 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 10.03 | 9.24 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kaplan bearers went from 29,582 to 27,627 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,196 to #1,254.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kaplan
FAQ
Kaplan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kaplan?
Name Census estimates that about 31,681 living Americans carry the surname Kaplan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,819 residents.
How common is Kaplan?
Kaplan ranks #1,254 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 27,627 people with the surname Kaplan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (31,681), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Kaplan.
Has Kaplan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kaplan went from 29,582 recorded bearers to 27,627. That is a decrease of 1,955 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,196 to #1,254.
What does the Census say about the background of Kaplan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaplan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Kaplan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (25,465 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kaplan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Kaplan (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 Kaplan mean?
A Jewish occupational surname referring to a chaplain, spiritual leader, or priest. 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 Kaplan (9.24 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 are called Kaplan?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Kaplan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.