CAPPS
Capps is a surname of English origin, traditionally found in the British Isles and later dispersed through emigration to the United States and other parts of the world.
The name is derived from the medieval given name Capp, a diminutive form of Capper. In Middle English the word cappe meant a hat or cap, a meaning that dates back to Old English Caep and was reinforced by the Old Norman French Cape introduced after the Conquest of 1066.
Occupational surnames were common in medieval England; Capps originally denoted a maker or seller of caps and hats. The agent suffix -er produced the form Capper, while the patronymic suffix -s gave rise to the variants Capps and Capes, meaning “son of Capp or Cape.”
Historical evidence for the name dates back to the early twelfth century. The first recorded spelling is associated with William Cappa, a name recorded in 1111 in the Early London Names register during the reign of King Henry I, who was described as “The Lion of Justice.” Later, in 1273, the name Walter Kapp appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, confirming the persistence of the surname in domestic documents.
In the early seventeenth century a bearer of the name, William Capps, is listed as a resident of Elizabeth City in the Virginia Colony in February 1623. This record illustrates the migration of the family name to the New World and its continuation in colonial society.
Variations of the surname include Capp, Capper, Capes, Capas, Caps, Cappes, and Kapps, all reflecting geographical, linguistic, or translational influences over time.
In contemporary distribution, Capps remains present in England, primarily in the northern and eastern regions, though it is not as widespread as in the United States. Within the United States, the surname is most commonly found in North Carolina, with significant numbers also in Texas, California, and Tennessee, reflecting patterns of internal migration and settlement.
The surname Capps therefore offers a clear example of an English occupational name that evolved through medieval usage, was recorded in early documents, migrated across the Atlantic, and today persists in both the British Isles and the United States with a range of recognised variants.
Typical given names associated with the Capps surname
Male
- Alan
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Robert
- Simon
- Stephen
- Steven
- William
Female
- Ann
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Frances
- Jennifer
- Lesley
- Margaret
- Mary
- Maxine
- Patricia
- Paula
- Sarah
- Victoria
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Capps in...
Braille
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Morse
-.-..-.--..--....
Semaphore
There are approximately 814 people named Capps in the UK. That makes it roughly the 8,648th most common surname in Britain. Around 12 in a million people in Britain are named Capps.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Capps
- Charlie Capps -
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.