Cape Family History
Cape Name Meaning
English (northern): metonymic occupational name for a maker of capes and cloaks or perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually wore a cloak or cape from Middle English and Old Norman French cape ‘cape cloak hooded cloak’ from Late Latin cappa capa probably a derivative of caput ‘head’ (see Capp ). There is also an Old English word cāpe ‘cape cloak’ from the same Late Latin word but the normal development of this in southern England was Middle English cope (see Cope ). French (Capé): nickname for someone who habitually wore a cape (see 1 above).
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022