Caprice
Derived from the French word for a whim or fancy, a feminine given name suggesting capriciousness or impulsiveness.
Name Census estimates that about 3,249 living Americans carry the first name Caprice. It is a predominantly female name (94.9% of registrations). The average person named Caprice today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Caprice births was 1966 (116 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Caprice. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Caprice with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
3.2K
~ 1 in 105,495 Americans
Peak year
1966
116 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2022 SSA rank
#9,740
Tracked since 1949
Census
Caprice in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,951 people with the first name Caprice, which placed it at #5,707 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#5,707
National first-name rank
People counted
3.0K
2,951 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
45.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caprice
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Caprice is Black at 45.3%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Hispanic (8.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Caprice described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Caprice at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American45.3% · 1,337
- White37.9% · 1,119
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 252
- Two or more races6.5% · 191
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 17
Gender
Gender distribution for Caprice
Caprice leans heavily female at 94.9% of total registrations, but 180 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Caprice as a male name
- Ranked #12,665 in 2022
- 5 male births in 2022
- Peak: 1998 (12 births)
Caprice as a female name
- Ranked #9,740 in 2023
- 10 female births in 2023
- Peak: 1966 (116 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Caprice leans strongly female. 2,796 people counted with this name were female (94.4%), compared with 166 male bearers (5.6%).
Popularity
Caprice: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Caprice from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 739 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Caprice by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Caprice during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Caprices live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. California, Illinois, New York recorded the most babies named Caprice, while Wisconsin, Tennessee, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 70 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Caprice
The name Caprice originates from the French language and first appeared during the Middle Ages. It derives from the Latin word "capra," meaning goat, and the diminutive suffix "-ice," which denotes smallness or endearment. As such, the name Caprice initially referred to a small or playful goat, a fitting name for a lively and mischievous child.
In its early usage, the name Caprice was often associated with the concept of a sudden whim or fancy, reflecting the unpredictable nature of a goat's movements. This connotation of capriciousness and whimsy became deeply ingrained in the name's meaning over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Caprice can be found in the 14th century French literary work "Le Roman de la Rose," written by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun. In this allegorical poem, Caprice is personified as a character representing the fickle nature of love and desire.
During the Renaissance period, the name Caprice gained popularity among the French nobility. One notable figure was Caprice de Monicart (1550-1619), a French courtier and poet who served under King Henry IV. Her vibrant personality and poetic talents reflected the playful spirit associated with her name.
In the 17th century, Caprice de Bauterne (1622-1701) was a renowned French actress and dancer who graced the stages of the Comédie-Française. Her performances were celebrated for their vivacity and spontaneity, embodying the very essence of the name Caprice.
Moving into the 19th century, Caprice Delamour (1810-1889) was a French painter known for her captivating portraits and scenes of Parisian life. Her artistic style was characterized by a sense of whimsy and a keen eye for capturing fleeting moments of beauty.
One of the most famous individuals to bear the name Caprice was the American actress Caprice Bourret (born 1971). She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a model and television personality, known for her lively and effervescent presence both on and off the screen.
Throughout history, the name Caprice has been associated with a sense of playfulness, spontaneity, and a zest for life. Its origins in the French language and its connections to the capricious nature of goats have infused the name with a unique charm and allure that continues to captivate generations.
People
Caprice + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Caprice as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Caprice: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Caprice?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,249 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Caprice going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 105,495 US residents.
Is Caprice a common name?
We classify Caprice as "Rare". It ranks above 95.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,549 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Caprice most popular?
The single biggest year for Caprice was 1966, when 116 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Caprice is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Caprice in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,951 people with the name Caprice, or 0.98 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,707 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Caprice in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Caprice?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Caprice leans strongly female. 2,796 people counted with this name were female (94.4%), compared with 166 male bearers (5.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Caprice?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Caprice is Black at 45.3%. The next largest groups are White (37.9%) and Hispanic (8.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Caprice most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Caprice in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.3% (1,337 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Caprice in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Caprice a female name?
Yes, 94.9% of people registered as Caprice in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Caprice still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Caprice in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Caprice can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Caprice as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Caprice, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.