Cape Family History

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).