Explore the Family Name Kapila

The meaning of Kapila

Indian (Punjab): from a personal name and nickname derived from Sanskrit kapila ‘brown’. This was the name of a Vedic sage who lived in the 7th–6th century bc.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Kapila witnessed a significant increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Kapila was ranked 93,427 in terms of popularity, however by 2010, it had risen to 77,788 – a change of 16.74%. The number of individuals with this surname also increased during this period; from 182 in 2000 to 246 in 2010, an absolute increase of 35.16%. Consequently, the proportion of people named Kapila per 100,000 also saw an increase of 14.29% over the decade.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#93,427	#77,788	16.74%
Count	182	246	35.16%
Proportion per 100k	0.07	0.08	14.29%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kapila

When it comes to ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that a considerable portion of individuals with the Kapila surname identify as Asian/Pacific Islander, although this percentage fell slightly from 78.57% in 2000 to 76.83% in 2010. The next largest group identified as White, which made up 10.99% of Kapilas in 2000 and 10.57% in 2010. There was also a notable decrease in those identifying as having two or more races, dropping from 6.59% to 3.25%. Interestingly, no Kapilas identified as Hispanic or Black in the 2000 census, but by 2010 there were modest percentages in both categories at 4.88% and 4.47% respectively. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw no representation in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
Asian/Pacific Islander	78.57%	76.83%	-2.21%
White	10.99%	10.57%	-3.82%
Hispanic	0%	4.88%	0%
Black	0%	4.47%	0%
Two or More Races	6.59%	3.25%	-50.68%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%