Explore the Family Name Capel

The meaning of Capel

1. English: variant of Capell. 2. French: regional variant of Chapel, from a dialect diminutive of Old French chape ‘hooded cloak, cape, hood’, or ‘hat’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of cloaks or hats, or a nickname for a habitual wearer of a distinctive cloak or hat. 3. Catalan: old variant or Castilianized form of Capell ‘hat, hood’, a cognate of 2 above. 4. Dutch: topographic name from Middle Dutch capelle ‘chapel’. 5. Dutch: possibly also from capeel ‘hat’, hence a cognate of 2 above.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Capel in the United States?

According to the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Capel has seen an increase in its popularity. In 2000, it ranked 19,048 and by 2010, it had climbed to a rank of 17,120 – that's an overall increase of 10.12%. In terms of actual count, there were 1,322 individuals with this surname recorded in 2000, which rose to 1,657 by 2010, marking a significant 25.34% rise. The proportion of people named Capel per 100,000 also grew from 0.49 to 0.56, a change of 14.29%.

20002010Change
Rank#19,048#17,12010.12%
Count1,3221,65725.34%
Proportion per 100k0.490.5614.29%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Capel

When examining the ethnic identity associated with the surname Capel, based on the information from the Decennial U.S. Census, we see some interesting shifts. The percentage of those identified as Asian/Pacific Islander increased from 1.51 to 2.35, a change of 55.63%. Notably, the category for "two or more races" emerged in 2010 with a 2.47% representation. White individuals with this surname showed a slight dip from 63.77% to 63.07%. The Hispanic segment saw growth from 3.03% to 4.47%, an increase of 47.52%. There was a decrease in the Black demographic from 30.11% to 27.10%. Lastly, the American Indian and Alaskan Native category appeared in 2010 with a 0.54% share. Any data marked "(S)" implies that the information was suppressed for privacy reasons.

20002010Change
White63.77%63.07%-1.1%
Black30.11%27.1%-10%
Hispanic3.03%4.47%47.52%
Two or More Races0%2.47%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander1.51%2.35%55.63%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.54%0%