2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Apap
A surname derived from the Welsh word for father, "ap".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Apap. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Apap 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Apap in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Apap, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Apap
The surname "APAP" has its origins in the Mediterranean region, specifically in the areas around modern-day Greece and Turkey. It is believed to have derived from the Greek word "apalos," which means "soft" or "tender." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive term for individuals with a gentle or mild demeanor.
One of the earliest records of the name "APAP" can be found in Byzantine manuscripts dating back to the 12th century. These documents mention individuals with variations of the name, such as "Apalos" and "Apalides," indicating that the surname had already been established by that time.
During the Ottoman Empire's reign, the name appears to have spread to other regions of the Mediterranean, including parts of modern-day Turkey and the Balkans. In the 16th century, there are records of an Ottoman official named Ibrahim Apap, who served as a governor in the region of Morea (present-day Peloponnese, Greece).
In the 18th century, the name "APAP" began to appear in historical records from the Greek islands, particularly in the Cyclades archipelago. One notable figure from this period was Georgios Apap (1720-1794), a merchant and ship owner from the island of Syros, who played a significant role in the island's economic development.
As the Greek diaspora spread across the Mediterranean and beyond, the name "APAP" traveled with them. In the 19th century, there are records of individuals with this surname living in various parts of the Ottoman Empire, as well as in Italy and other European countries.
Another notable figure was Alexandros Apap (1845-1915), a Greek linguist and scholar born in Izmir (then known as Smyrna), who made significant contributions to the study of the Greek language and its dialects.
Throughout its history, the surname "APAP" has also been associated with various place names and older spellings. For instance, the island of Lipsi in the Dodecanese archipelago was once known as "Apapli" or "Apapalia," which may have been derived from the surname.
Other individuals of note who bore the surname "APAP" include:
1. Dimitrios Apap (1835-1905), a Greek soldier and military leader from Crete.
2. Konstantinos Apap (1865-1932), a Greek painter and art educator from Syros.
3. Eleni Apap (1879-1961), a Greek writer and feminist activist from Syros.
4. Aristidis Apap (1890-1953), a Greek politician and diplomat from Thessaloniki.
5. Ioannis Apap (1920-2002), a Greek theologian and academic from Athens.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Apap
Among Census respondents with the surname Apap, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Apap 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 Apap surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Apap
Apap appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,173 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 Apap 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 | #146,201 | #145,028 | 0.8% |
| Count | 113 | 116 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Apap bearers went from 113 to 116 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,173 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #145,028.
FAQ
Apap surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Apap?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Apap. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Apap?
Apap ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Apap. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Apap.
Has Apap become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Apap went from 113 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Apap?
Among Census respondents with the surname Apap, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Apap in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Apap appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Black (1.7%). 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 Apap (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 Apap mean?
A surname derived from the Welsh word for father, "ap". 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 Apap (0.04 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 people have the surname Apap?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.