2000
#16,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,560
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Kappes
A German surname derived from the word "kappe" meaning cape or hood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,890 Americans carry the last name Kappes. That puts it at #16,867 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 181,352 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kappes 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
1.9K
1 in 181,352
Census rank
#16,867
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,648 bearers of the surname Kappes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16867th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kappes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kappes
Among Census respondents with the surname Kappes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kappes 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 Kappes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 1,524
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 60
- Two or more races2.8% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 13
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kappes
Kappes 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
#17,385
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,624
+64 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.55
Rank movement Down 547 places
2020
#16,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,648
+24 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.55
Rank movement Up 518 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,838 | 1,560 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,385 | 1,624 | 0.55 | +64 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 547 places |
| 2020 | #16,867 | 1,648 | 0.55 | +24 bearers (+1.5%) | Up 518 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 Kappes 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 | #17,385 | #16,867 | 3.0% |
| Count | 1,624 | 1,648 | 1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.55 | 0.55 | 0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kappes bearers went from 1,624 to 1,648 (+1.5% change). The surname moved up 518 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,385 to #16,867.
FAQ
Kappes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kappes?
Name Census estimates that about 1,890 living Americans carry the surname Kappes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 181,352 residents.
How common is Kappes?
Kappes ranks #16,867 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.55 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 1,648 people with the surname Kappes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,890), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.55 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 Kappes.
Has Kappes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kappes went from 1,624 recorded bearers to 1,648. That is an increase of 24 (+1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,385 to #16,867.
What does the Census say about the background of Kappes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kappes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Kappes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (1,524 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kappes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Kappes (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 Kappes mean?
A German surname derived from the word "kappe" meaning cape or hood. 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 Kappes (0.55 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 surname Kappes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.