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Capitola
How to Pronounce Capitola
Pronounced kap-ih-TOH-luh /ˌkæp.ɪˈtoʊ.lə/Medium
Meaning: Capitola is a literary coinage, the name of the plucky heroine Capitola 'Cap' Black in E.D.E.N. Southworth's hugely popular 1859 novel 'The Hidden Hand'. Its sound draws on Latin caput and capitolium, 'head' or 'capitol'; the book, not the etymology, is why parents chose it.Low
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Capitola entered American use directly from fiction: the cross-dressing, quick-witted heroine 'Cap' Black in Southworth's serialized bestseller captivated readers, and admiring parents borrowed her unusual name. Its Latin-flavored sound, echoing capitolium, gave it a stately ring, and a California seaside town later carried it too.
The name never became common — only a few dozen girls a year even at its faint early-century peak — and it faded as the novel's fame dimmed. It stands today as a vivid Victorian literary curiosity and has not revived, though it appeals to lovers of rare bookish names.
Variations
Nicknames
Famous Bearers
- ★Capitola Black (fictional)The heroine of E.D.E.N. Southworth's 1859 novel 'The Hidden Hand', a spirited young woman whose popularity spread the name.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Capitola mean?
Capitola is a literary name from the 1859 novel 'The Hidden Hand', with a Latin caput/capitolium sound.
How do you pronounce Capitola?
It's said kap-ih-TOH-luh /ˌkæp.ɪˈtoʊ.lə/ — four syllables, stress on the third.
Is Capitola a boy or girl name?
Capitola is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Capitola?
Capitola is rare, a Victorian literary name most seen in the decades after the novel that inspired it.