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

Kappes, 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 Kappes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kappes in America

Kappes is the 17385th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kappes surname appeared 1,624 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 Kappes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kappes 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 Kappes

The surname Kappes is of German origin, first appearing in the 14th century in the region of Bavaria. It is derived from the German word "Kappe," meaning a hood or cap, suggesting it may have been an occupational name for a cap maker or a descriptive name for someone who habitually wore a distinctive cap or hood.

The earliest known recorded instance of the name Kappes can be found in the Bavarian town records of Augsburg, where a Wilhelm Kappes is listed as a resident in 1382. Another early reference is in the church records of Nürnberg, where a Hans Kappes was documented as a merchant in 1427.

In the 15th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, with instances recorded in the city of Leipzig in 1499 and in the town of Wittenberg in 1512. The latter reference is particularly notable as it coincides with the time of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Kappes was Johannes Kappes, born in Heidelberg in 1521. He was a renowned scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Heidelberg and was a prominent figure in the early years of the Reformation.

Another notable figure was Hans Kappes, a merchant and city councilor in Nürnberg, who lived from 1548 to 1622. He was instrumental in establishing trade agreements between Nürnberg and other cities in the Holy Roman Empire.

In the 17th century, the name Kappes is found in various town and church records across Germany, including instances in the cities of Frankfurt and Dresden. One individual of note was Johann Kappes, born in 1632 in Mainz, who was a skilled master carpenter and responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in the city.

As the centuries progressed, the surname Kappes spread to other parts of Europe and eventually to the United States and other countries through immigration. Andreas Kappes, born in 1798 in Bavaria, was one of the earliest known individuals with this surname to immigrate to America, settling in Pennsylvania in the 1820s.

Throughout history, the surname Kappes has been associated with various occupations and professions, including scholars, merchants, artisans, and tradesmen. While not a particularly common name, it has endured for over six centuries and can be found in various regions around the world today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kappes

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

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

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

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