Find out how popular the last name Affolter is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Affolter.

Affolter, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Affolter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Affolter in America

Affolter is the 30735th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Affolter surname appeared 758 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Affolter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Affolter to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Affolter

The surname Affolter originated in Switzerland, particularly in the Canton of Bern. It is derived from the Middle High German word "afolter," which means "apple tree." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near an apple tree or an apple orchard.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Affolter can be traced back to the 13th century. In 1274, a document from the town of Steffisburg, near Bern, mentioned a person named "Walther ab Affoltre," which translates to "Walter from Affolter." This indicates that the name may have originated as a place name before becoming a surname.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records from the Canton of Bern, including the "Ratsmanuale" (Council Records) of the city of Bern. One notable entry from 1365 mentions a "Peter Affolter," a citizen of Bern.

During the 15th century, the name Affolter became more widespread in Switzerland. In 1456, a document from the town of Aarberg mentioned a "Hans Affolter," who was likely a local resident or landowner.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Affolter (c. 1480-1548), a Swiss Protestant reformer and pastor from the Canton of Bern. He played a significant role in the Swiss Reformation and was a close associate of Huldrych Zwingli.

Another notable figure with the surname Affolter was Johann Jakob Affolter (1737-1815), a Swiss painter and etcher from the Canton of Zurich. He is known for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting the Swiss Alps and rural scenes.

In the 19th century, the name Affolter was still prevalent in Switzerland, particularly in the Cantons of Bern and Zurich. One notable individual from this period was Samuel Affolter (1822-1896), a Swiss theologian and professor at the University of Bern.

Throughout its history, the surname Affolter has maintained its strong connection to Switzerland, particularly the German-speaking regions. While it may have spread to other parts of the world through emigration, its roots and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the Swiss Cantons of Bern and Zurich.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Affolter

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Affolter.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Affolter was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Affolter has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Affolter was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Affolter, please contact us.

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