Caplan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Caplan were among those contributors:

Caplan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Rubi Caplan, who arrived in Texas in 1850-1906 3

• Frieda Caplan (1924-2020), American entrepreneur, founder of Frieda's Inc. in 1962 which markets and distributes specialty produce
• Twink Caplan (b. 1947), American actress, comedian and producer
• Elizabeth Anne "Lizzy" Caplan (b. 1982), American actress, best known for her role as Janis Ian in Mean Girls
• Kimby Caplan (b. 1974), American filmmaker from Phoenix, Arizona
• Irwin "Cap" Caplan (1919-2007), American illustrator, painter, designer and cartoonist, best known as the creator of Famous Last Words, in The Saturday Evening Post
• Bryan Caplan (b. 1971), American economist, a professor of Economics at George Mason University
• David Caplan (1964-2019), Canadian politician in Ontario, MPP for Don Valley East (1999-2011)
• Gerald Lewis "Gerry" Caplan PhD (b. 1938), Canadian academic, public policy analyst, commentator and political activist
• Elinor Caplan PC (b. 1944), Canadian retired politician and businesswoman in Ontario, Member of Parliament for Thornhill (1997-2004)
• Naomi Caplan Matusow (b. 1938), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1988 (alternate), 2000; Member of New York State Assembly, 1993 4