2000
#68,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 269
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Kapsalis
A Greek surname indicating one's occupation as a tavern keeper or innkeeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 358 Americans carry the last name Kapsalis. That puts it at #68,029 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 957,414 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kapsalis 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
358
1 in 957,414
Census rank
#68,029
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
312
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 312 bearers of the surname Kapsalis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 68029th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kapsalis, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kapsalis
The surname Kapsalis is of Greek origin, originating from the Greek island of Crete during the medieval period. It is derived from the Greek word "kapsa," which means "saddlebag" or "pouch." The name likely originated as an occupational surname for a maker or seller of saddlebags or pouches.
The earliest recorded instances of the Kapsalis surname can be traced back to the 14th century on the island of Crete. During this time, the island was under Venetian rule, and many Cretan surnames were influenced by the Venetian language and culture.
In the 16th century, the name Kapsalis appears in several historical documents and records from the Venetian administration on Crete. One notable example is the 1577 census of the village of Anogeia, which lists several families with the surname Kapsalis.
The Kapsalis surname has also been found in various historical manuscripts and records from the Greek Orthodox Church on Crete. For example, in the 17th century, a priest named Ioannis Kapsalis was recorded as serving in the village of Arkalochori.
Throughout its history, the Kapsalis surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Georgios Kapsalis, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Rethymno in the late 16th century.
Another notable figure was Manolis Kapsalis, a Greek revolutionary who fought against the Ottoman Empire during the Greek War of Independence in the early 19th century. He was born in the village of Anogeia in 1792 and played a crucial role in organizing the Cretan resistance against the Ottomans.
In the 20th century, Alexandros Kapsalis (1897-1981) was a prominent Greek lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Greek parliament and held various ministerial positions in the Greek government.
Dimitrios Kapsalis (1912-1986) was a renowned Greek artist and painter, known for his vibrant depictions of Cretan landscapes and traditional life. His works are featured in various museums and galleries throughout Greece.
More recently, Ioannis Kapsalis (born 1957) is a Greek economist and academic, currently serving as a professor at the University of Crete. He has published numerous works on economic theory and policy, with a particular focus on the Greek economy and the Eurozone crisis.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kapsalis
Among Census respondents with the surname Kapsalis, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kapsalis 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 Kapsalis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 287
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 11
- Two or more races3.5% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kapsalis
Kapsalis 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
#64,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 308
+39 bearers (+14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 3,801 places
2020
#68,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 312
+4 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 3,470 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #68,360 | 269 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #64,559 | 308 | 0.10 | +39 bearers (+14.5%) | Up 3,801 places |
| 2020 | #68,029 | 312 | 0.10 | +4 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 3,470 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 Kapsalis 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 | #64,559 | #68,029 | -5.4% |
| Count | 308 | 312 | 1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.10 | 4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kapsalis bearers went from 308 to 312 (+1.3% change). The surname moved down 3,470 positions in the national ranking, going from #64,559 to #68,029.
FAQ
Kapsalis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kapsalis?
Name Census estimates that about 358 living Americans carry the surname Kapsalis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 957,414 residents.
How common is Kapsalis?
Kapsalis ranks #68,029 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 312 people with the surname Kapsalis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (358), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Kapsalis.
Has Kapsalis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kapsalis went from 308 recorded bearers to 312. That is an increase of 4 (+1.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #64,559 to #68,029.
What does the Census say about the background of Kapsalis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kapsalis, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Kapsalis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (287 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kapsalis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Kapsalis (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 Kapsalis mean?
A Greek surname indicating one's occupation as a tavern keeper or innkeeper. 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 Kapsalis (0.10 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 Kapsalis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.