2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kappert
A surname of German origin derived from the word "kappert", which means a hawk or falcon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Kappert. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kappert 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Kappert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kappert, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kappert
The surname "KAPPERT" is of German origin and is believed to have emerged during the medieval period in central Europe. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "kapper," which referred to a trader or merchant who dealt in textile goods, particularly capes or cloaks. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been involved in the textile trade or perhaps even specialized in the production of capes or cloaks.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "KAPPERT" can be found in the historical records of the city of Nuremberg in present-day Bavaria, Germany. In the 14th century, a certain Konrad Kappert is mentioned as a prominent merchant and citizen of the city. This indicates that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
The surname "KAPPERT" also appears in various other medieval records and documents from various parts of Germany, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, which contains a reference to a person named Heinrich Kappert in the early 15th century. Additionally, the Würzburger Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Würzburg, mentions a certain Ulrich Kappert in the late 14th century.
During the 16th century, the name "KAPPERT" seems to have spread beyond the borders of Germany. One notable bearer of this surname was Adriaen Kappert, a Dutch painter and engraver who was active in the early 17th century. He was born in Amsterdam in 1580 and is known for his landscapes and etchings depicting scenes from the Netherlands.
Another significant figure in history who bore the surname "KAPPERT" was Johann Jakob Kappert, a German theologian and author who lived in the 18th century. He was born in Kassel in 1715 and is best known for his work titled "Institutiones Theologicae Dogmaticae," which was a widely influential theological treatise during that time.
In the 19th century, the name "KAPPERT" gained further recognition through the work of Johann Georg Kappert, a German linguist and scholar who specialized in the study of Slavic languages. He was born in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) in 1819 and made significant contributions to the field of Slavic philology.
Throughout its history, the surname "KAPPERT" has been associated with various professions and fields, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who have carried this name. While its origins can be traced back to the textile trade in medieval Germany, the surname has since become a part of the cultural heritage of various regions and countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kappert
Among Census respondents with the surname Kappert, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kappert 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 Kappert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kappert
Kappert appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,423 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 2,423 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 Kappert 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 | #152,628 | #150,205 | 1.6% |
| Count | 107 | 109 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kappert bearers went from 107 to 109 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 2,423 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #150,205.
FAQ
Kappert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kappert?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Kappert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Kappert?
Kappert ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 109 people with the surname Kappert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kappert.
Has Kappert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kappert went from 107 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Kappert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kappert, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Kappert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kappert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Kappert (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 Kappert mean?
A surname of German origin derived from the word "kappert", which means a hawk or falcon. 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 Kappert (0.04 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 Kappert?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Kappert at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.