The etymology of the name Capri is unclear; it might either be traced back to the Ancient Greeks, the first recorded colonists to populate the island. But it could also derive from Latin capreae.
Fossils of wild boars have been discovered, lending credence to the "kapros" etymology, but on the other hand the Romans called Capri "goat island". Finally, there is also the possibility the name derives from an Etruscan word for "rocky".

According to the Greek geographer Strabo, Capri was once part of the mainland. This has been confirmed by geological surveys and archaeological findings.
The city has been inhabited since very early times. Evidence of human settlement was discovered during the Roman era; according to Suetonius, when the foundations for the villa of Augustus were being excavated, giant bones and 'weapons of stone' were discovered. The emperor ordered these to be displayed in the garden of his main residence, the Sea Palace.


In his Aeneid, Virgil states that the island had been populated by the Greek people of Teleboi, coming from the Ionian Island. Strabo says that "in ancient times in Capri there were two towns, later reduced to one." Tacitus records that there were twelve Imperial villas in Capri. Ruins of one at Tragara could still be seen in the 19th century.
Augustus's successor Tiberius built a series of villas at Capri, the most famous of which is the Villa Jovis, one of the best preserved Roman villas in Italy. In 27 C.E, Tiberius permanently moved to Capri, running the Empire from there until his death in 37 CE.
In 182 CE, Emperor Commodus banished his sister Lucilla to Capri. She was executed shortly afterwards.


After the end of the Western Roman Empire, Capri returned to the status of a dominion of Naples, and suffered various attacks and ravages by pirates. In 866 Emperor Louis II gave the island to Amalfi. In 987 the first Caprese bishop was consecrated by Pope John XV.
In 1496, Frederick IV of Naples established legal and administrative parity between the two settlements of Capri and Anacapri. The pirate raids reached their peak during the reign of Charles V: the famous Turkish admirals Barbarossa and Turgut Reis captured the island in 1535 and 1553 for the Ottoman Empire, respectively.

The first recorded tourist to visit the island was the French antiques dealer Jean Jacques Bouchard in the 17th century. His diary, found in 1850, is an important information source about Capri.
In January 1806, French troops occupied the island. The British ousted the French troops that May; Capri was turned into a powerful naval base, but the building program caused heavy damage to the archaeological sites. The French reconquered Capri in 1808, and remained there until the end of the Napoleonic era (1815), when Capri was returned to the Bourbon ruling house of Naples.
In the latter half of the 19th century, Capri became a popular resort for European artists, writers and other celebrities and now the island is famous throughout the world and visited by millions of tourists each year.