2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Naple
A topographic name for someone living by or near Naples in Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Naple. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Naple 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Naple in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Naple, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Black (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Naple
The surname NAPLE is of English origin, and it dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "næp," which means a small bowl or vessel, and it was likely used as an occupational name for someone who made or sold such vessels.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Naple, who was documented in the Feet of Fines records for Staffordshire in 1275.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Napell and Napill, reflecting the variations in spelling that were common in that era. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 mention a Thomas Napell, while the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1332 record a John Napill.
The NAPLE surname was also found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279, which were ancient records documenting landowners and their holdings. This suggests that some families bearing the name were landowners during that time.
One notable individual with the surname NAPLE was Sir John Naple, a prominent English lawyer and judge who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He served as a Justice of the Common Pleas from 1495 to 1518.
Another person of note was William Naple, a 16th-century English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Winchester from 1559 to 1567.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in various parish records across England, such as the baptismal record of Elizabeth Naple in St. Giles Cripplegate, London, in 1630, and the marriage record of William Naple and Ann Burt in St. Mary's, Nottingham, in 1661.
The NAPLE surname was also found in some early American records, indicating that individuals with this name had emigrated to the New World. For instance, John Naple was recorded as a landowner in Virginia in the 1620s, while Thomas Naple was listed as a resident of Massachusetts in the 1630s.
Throughout its history, the NAPLE surname has been associated with various geographic locations, including places like Napesbury in Hertfordshire and Napleton in Shropshire, both of which likely derived their names from the same Old English word that gave rise to the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Naple
Among Census respondents with the surname Naple, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Black (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Naple 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 Naple surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 101
- Two or more races6.0% · 7
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Naple
Naple 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-6 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,954 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,888 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 13,954 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,888 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 Naple 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 | #141,140 | #145,028 | -2.8% |
| Count | 118 | 116 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Naple bearers went from 118 to 116 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,888 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #145,028.
FAQ
Naple surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Naple?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Naple. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Naple?
Naple ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Naple. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Naple.
Has Naple become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Naple went from 118 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Naple?
Among Census respondents with the surname Naple, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Black (2.6%). 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 Naple in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Naple appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Two or More Races (6.0%), Black (2.6%). 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 Naple (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 Naple mean?
A topographic name for someone living by or near Naples in Italy. 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 Naple (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 many people have the surname Naple?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.