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

Kapp, 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 Kapp surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kapp in America

Kapp is the 8333rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kapp surname appeared 3,974 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 Kapp.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kapp 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 Kapp

The surname KAPP originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Old German word "kapp," meaning a cloak or hood. The name was likely initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who wore a distinctive cloak or hood.

KAPP is considered a Low German surname, with its roots in northern Germany, particularly in areas like Lower Saxony and Westphalia. The earliest recorded spelling variations include Kapp, Kappe, and Kappen.

One of the earliest known references to the surname KAPP can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Lüneburg, Lower Saxony, which date back to the mid-16th century. These records mention several individuals with the surname KAPP, suggesting the name's prevalence in the region during that time.

In the 17th century, the name KAPP appears in various historical documents, including tax records and land deeds, across northern Germany. One notable early bearer of the name was Johann Kapp (1573-1637), a German theologian and author from Westphalia.

As the name spread, it also became associated with certain place names, such as Kappeln in Schleswig-Holstein, which may have influenced its adoption as a surname in these areas.

Other notable individuals with the surname KAPP throughout history include:

1. Friedrich Kapp (1824-1884), a German philosopher and writer from Hamm, Westphalia.
2. Christian Kapp (1839-1904), a German-American architect and writer, best known for his work on the State Capitol building in Austin, Texas.
3. Eduard Kapp (1860-1938), a German industrialist and pioneer in the field of electrical engineering, born in Düsseldorf.
4. Wolfgang Kapp (1858-1922), a Prussian civil servant and politician who led the unsuccessful Kapp Putsch of 1920, an attempt to overthrow the Weimar Republic.
5. Ernst Kapp (1808-1896), a German philosopher and writer from Königsberg, known for his work on the philosophy of technology.

While the surname KAPP originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration, particularly to North America and other regions with significant German diasporas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kapp

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!