The baby name Capel is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈkeɪpəl/ (KAY-pəl); also heard as /ˈkæpəl/ (CAP-əl) or Welsh /ˈkapɛl/.
The baby name Capel is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈkeɪpəl/ (KAY-pəl); also heard as /ˈkæpəl/ (CAP-əl) or Welsh /ˈkapɛl/.
Capel is English, French, Welsh in Origin.
Capel is a rare English–Welsh given name shaped by surname traditions. The surname has two plausible sources: a habitational/topographic origin from Welsh/Anglo-Norman capel “chapel,” from Late Latin capella, and a nickname or occupational origin from Anglo-Norman capel “horse, nag,” from Latin caballus. The first sense denotes a small chapel; the second points to a horseman or keeper of horses.
Use as a forename appears in Britain from the 17th to 19th centuries, often in gentry families transferring a maternal surname - examples include the writer Capel Lofft and politician Capel Hanbury. Today it remains uncommon and reads as a crisp, unisex, surname‑style choice. Variants and related spellings include Capell and Caple; the aristocratic family name Capell (Earls of Essex) is related. Offered meanings: “chapel; little chapel” or “horseman/keeper of horses.”
Capel is about as rare as a name gets. In all, it appears just 10 times, across 7 countries.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EC | Boys | 0 | #246 | 1 | 3,322 |
| JM | Boys | 0 | #293 | 1 | 6,876 |
| UY | Girls | 0 | #536 | 1 | 6,731 |
| HK | Boys | 0 | #557 | 1 | 12,905 |
| CM | Girls | 0 | #560 | 1 | 11,671 |
| CM | Boys | 0 | #574 | 2 | 12,054 |
| NG | Boys | 0 | #1,000 | 2 | 16,906 |
| ZA | Boys | 0 | #1,272 | 1 | 25,619 |
Capel is popular in 7 countries — most recent births per country:
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