2000
#11,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,432
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Kappel
Derived from the Middle High German word "kappel," referring to a person living near a chapel or church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,212 Americans carry the last name Kappel. That puts it at #14,772 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,952 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kappel 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
2.2K
1 in 154,952
Census rank
#14,772
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,929 bearers of the surname Kappel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14772nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kappel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kappel
The surname Kappel originated in Germany and can be traced back to the early 13th century. It is derived from the Germanic word "Kappel," which means a small chapel or church. The name was likely given to someone who lived near or worked in a chapel or small church.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Kappel is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany. The document, dated 1228, mentions a "Johannes de Kappel," indicating the presence of the surname in that region during that time.
In the late 13th century, the name appears in the records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, in present-day Bavaria, Germany. A document from 1291 refers to a "Henricus dictus Kappel," suggesting the surname's usage in this area as well.
The name Kappel is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Kappeln, a town in Schleswig-Holstein, and Kappel-Grafenhausen, a municipality in Baden-Württemberg. These place names may have influenced the adoption of the surname by individuals living in or near these locations.
One notable person with the surname Kappel was Hans Kappel (1495-1541), a German theologian and reformer who supported the Protestant Reformation. He was a follower of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the spread of Protestantism in Saxony.
Another person of historical significance was Emilie Kappel (1828-1895), a German writer and translator. She was known for her translations of English literature into German, including works by Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray.
In the 15th century, a German manuscript known as the "Kappel Codex" was produced in the town of Kappel am Albis, Switzerland. This illuminated manuscript contains religious texts and is considered an important example of late medieval book art.
Johannes Kappel (1570-1638) was a German composer and organist who served at the court of Prince Johann Georg I of Saxony. His compositions, primarily sacred works, were highly regarded during his lifetime.
Another notable figure was Gerhard Kappel (1673-1738), a German architect and engineer who worked on various projects in Saxony, including the construction of churches and fortifications.
While the surname Kappel has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, the origins and historical references mentioned above provide valuable insights into the name's rich heritage and its connection to the German language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kappel
Among Census respondents with the surname Kappel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kappel 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 Kappel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 1,795
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 71
- Two or more races1.8% · 34
- Black or African American0.7% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kappel
Kappel 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
#11,073
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,869
+437 bearers (+18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 722 places
2020
#14,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,929
-940 bearers (-32.8%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 3,699 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,795 | 2,432 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,073 | 2,869 | 0.97 | +437 bearers (+18.0%) | Up 722 places |
| 2020 | #14,772 | 1,929 | 0.65 | -940 bearers (-32.8%) | Down 3,699 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 Kappel 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 | #11,073 | #14,772 | -33.4% |
| Count | 2,869 | 1,929 | -32.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.65 | -33.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kappel bearers went from 2,869 to 1,929 (-32.8% change). The surname moved down 3,699 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,073 to #14,772.
FAQ
Kappel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kappel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,212 living Americans carry the surname Kappel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,952 residents.
How common is Kappel?
Kappel ranks #14,772 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,929 people with the surname Kappel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,212), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kappel.
Has Kappel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kappel went from 2,869 recorded bearers to 1,929. That is a decrease of 940 (-32.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,073 to #14,772.
What does the Census say about the background of Kappel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kappel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Kappel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (1,795 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kappel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Kappel (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 Kappel mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "kappel," referring to a person living near a chapel or church. 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 Kappel (0.65 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 Kappel?
If you just want to know how common the surname Kappel is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.