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Captain Family History

Captain Surname Meaning

Americanized form (translation into English) of French Capitaine, Dutch Captein or Kaptein, Italian Capitano, German and Polish or other Slavic Kapitan, Hungarian Kapitány, and Greek Kapetanos, all status names from a title meaning ‘captain’ (ultimately from Late Latin capitaneus ‘chief’ ‘principal’ from caput ‘head’), used to denote a master of a ship, a high-ranking official, a headman, or a person of military rank.

In North America, the surname Captain may also be derived (shortened and translated) from various Greek patronymics and other derivatives, e.g. Kapetanopoulos.

Compare Capitan.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Captain family from?

You can see how Captain families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Captain family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Captain families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 14 Captain families living in Northwest Territories. This was about 38% of all the recorded Captain's in Canada. Northwest Territories had the highest population of Captain families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Captain surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Captain ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Trapper and Nil were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Captain. 67% of Captain men worked as a Trapper and 100% of Captain women worked as a Nil.

View Census Data for Captain | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Trapper
    67%
  • Farmer
    34%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Nil
    100%

What Captain family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 7,000 census records available for the last name Captain. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Captain census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Captain

Passenger Lists

There are 6,000 immigration records available for the last name Captain. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Captain immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 89,000 military records available for the last name Captain. For the veterans among your Captain ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Captain military records

You've only scratched the surface of Captain family history

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What is the average Captain lifespan?

Between 1961 and 2004, in the United States, Captain life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1961, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Captain in 1961 was 50, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Captain

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Captain ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Captain family tree

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