Capers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The Old French word "Chaput" was a type of chopping block that was used to work slate and create different shapes. The name Chaput was originally given to carpenters. 1

Early Origins of the Capers family

The surname Capers was first found in Forez, a former province of France, now part of the modern Loire, the Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme departments, where they have held a family seat since the 1100's.

By the beginning of the 12th century the family was well established in the region of Forez and several members of this important family made a distinctive contribution to the community in which they lived and were rewarded with lands, titles, and letters patent confirming their nobility.

Claude Chapuis is recorded as the Lord of Condrieu and in 1109, as reward for his great contribution both culturally and religiously, he received the permission to construct the chapel of Saint Martin in honour of the family.

Early History of the Capers family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Capers research. Another 250 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1389, 1536, 1630, 1641, 1667, 1696 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Capers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Capers Spelling Variations

History has changed the spelling of most surnames. During the early development of the French language in the Middle Ages, a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there spelling variations of the name Capers, some of which include Chaput, Chapue, Chapud, Chapus, Chapout, Chapoue, Chapoud, Chapous, Chapput, Chappue, Chappud, Chappus, Chappout, Chappoue, Chappoud, Chappous, Shaput, Shapue, Shapus, Shapout, Shapoue, Shapoud, Shappous, Shapput, Shappue, Shappud, Shappus, Shappout, Shappoue, Shappoud, Shappous, Chapuis, Chapus and many more.

Early Notables of the Capers family

More information is included under the topic Early Capers Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Capers Ranking

In the United States, the name Capers is the 5,555^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Capers migration to the United States +

Immigration to New France was slow; therefore, early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Capers has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Capers were

Capers Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Capers, who arrived in South Carolina in 1686 3

Capers Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Herbert Capers, aged 26, who landed in America from Coventry, England, in 1908
John Capers, aged 42, who immigrated to America, in 1908
Nellie Capers, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from Coventry, England, in 1908
Mrs. F.L. Capers, aged 55, who landed in America, in 1911
F.L. Capers, aged 29, who immigrated to the United States, in 1911
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Capers (post 1700) +

Jean Murrell Capers (1913-2017), American jurist,, educator, and politician
Valerie Capers (b. 1935), American jazz pianist and composer from New York City
Selvish Capers (b. 1985), American NFL football offensive tackle for the New York Giants
Ellison Capers (1837-1908), American Confederate general in the American Civil War
Eliza Virginia Capers (1925-2004), American Tony award winning actress
Ernest Dominic "Dom" Capers (b. 1950), American NFL football defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers
Wayne Capers (b. 1961), American retired NFL football wide receiver
Francis Capers Owens, American politician, Member of South Carolina State Senate, 1967-72 4
Mrs. Capers Rice, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Georgia, 1960 5

Citations +

Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 24) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html