2000
#62,396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 300
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Afflerbach
A German toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "apple brook" or "creek with apple trees."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 374 Americans carry the last name Afflerbach. That puts it at #65,688 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 916,455 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Afflerbach surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
374
1 in 916,455
Census rank
#65,688
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
326
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 326 bearers of the surname Afflerbach in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 65688th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Afflerbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Afflerbach
The surname Afflerbach is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in the areas that are now part of modern-day Germany and Switzerland. Its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, likely between the 11th and 13th centuries.
One possible interpretation of the name Afflerbach suggests that it is derived from a combination of the Germanic words "aff," meaning "river," and "bach," meaning "stream" or "brook." This implies that the name may have originated as a descriptor for someone living near a small river or stream.
Another theory proposes that Afflerbach is a toponymic surname, meaning it was derived from a specific place name. In this case, it could be linked to the village of Afflerbach (or a similar spelling), which is located in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. This village name itself may have been inspired by the presence of a river or stream in the area.
While there is limited historical documentation specifically mentioning the surname Afflerbach, it is likely that variations of the name appeared in various records and manuscripts from the medieval and early modern periods. However, no specific references to the name in notable historical documents, such as the Domesday Book, have been found.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Afflerbach was Johann Afflerbach, born around 1520 in the town of Memmingen, located in the Bavarian region of Germany. He was a prominent merchant and entrepreneur in his time.
Another notable figure was Hans Afflerbach (1554-1623), a German theologian and writer who served as a Lutheran pastor in Saxony. His works contributed significantly to the religious discourse of the Reformation era.
In the 18th century, Friedrich Afflerbach (1701-1776) was a German architect and builder who designed several notable churches and public buildings in the city of Mannheim and its surrounding areas.
Moving into the 19th century, Karl Afflerbach (1839-1911) was a German industrialist and businessman who played a crucial role in the development of the steel industry in the Ruhr region of Germany.
More recently, Gerhard Afflerbach (1924-2015) was a German-born American engineer and academic. He taught at several prestigious universities, including the University of California, Berkeley, and made significant contributions to the field of aerospace engineering.
It is worth noting that while these examples provide insights into the historical presence of the surname Afflerbach, the name's origins and early uses remain somewhat uncertain, as is often the case with surname histories spanning multiple centuries and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Afflerbach
Among Census respondents with the surname Afflerbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Afflerbach bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Afflerbach surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 311
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 7
- Two or more races1.8% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Afflerbach
Afflerbach appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#58,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 345
+45 bearers (+15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 3,661 places
2020
#65,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 326
-19 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 6,953 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #62,396 | 300 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #58,735 | 345 | 0.12 | +45 bearers (+15.0%) | Up 3,661 places |
| 2020 | #65,688 | 326 | 0.11 | -19 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 6,953 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Afflerbach surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #58,735 | #65,688 | -11.8% |
| Count | 345 | 326 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.11 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Afflerbach bearers went from 345 to 326 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 6,953 positions in the national ranking, going from #58,735 to #65,688.
FAQ
Afflerbach surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Afflerbach?
Name Census estimates that about 374 living Americans carry the surname Afflerbach. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 916,455 residents.
How common is Afflerbach?
Afflerbach ranks #65,688 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 326 people with the surname Afflerbach. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (374), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Afflerbach.
Has Afflerbach become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Afflerbach went from 345 recorded bearers to 326. That is a decrease of 19 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #58,735 to #65,688.
What does the Census say about the background of Afflerbach?
Among Census respondents with the surname Afflerbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Afflerbach in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (311 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Afflerbach appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Hispanic (2.1%), Two or More Races (1.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Afflerbach (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Afflerbach mean?
A German toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "apple brook" or "creek with apple trees." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Afflerbach (0.11 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Afflerbach?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.