2000
#3,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,587
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.18
Uncommon Last name
Aparicio
A Spanish occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a butler or majordomo in a palace.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,936 Americans carry the last name Aparicio. That puts it at #2,703 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,948 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aparicio 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Aparicio with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,948
Census rank
#2,703
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,025 bearers of the surname Aparicio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2703rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aparicio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aparicio
The surname Aparicio has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in Spain and Portugal. It emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th century, and is derived from the Latin word "apparitio," meaning "appearance" or "manifestation."
The name is believed to have originated as a descriptive surname, likely referring to someone who had a striking or memorable appearance, or perhaps a person who had a vision or apparition. In its earliest forms, the name was often spelled "Aparicio" or "Aparisi."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Aparicio can be found in a 13th-century manuscript from the city of Valencia, which mentions a certain "Guillem Aparicio." Additionally, the name appears in various medieval documents and records from regions such as Catalonia and Aragon.
The surname Aparicio has been associated with several notable historical figures over the centuries. One of the earliest was Pedro Aparicio, a Spanish friar and missionary who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was known for his work in evangelizing the indigenous populations of Mexico during the Spanish colonization.
Another prominent bearer of the name was José de Aparicio y Navarro, a Spanish jurist and academic who lived in the 17th century (1622-1689). He served as a professor of canon law at the University of Salamanca and authored several influential legal texts.
In the realm of literature, one notable figure was Antonio Aparicio (1822-1900), a Spanish poet and journalist from the city of Seville. He was known for his works celebrating the culture and traditions of Andalusia.
The name Aparicio has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout Spain and Portugal. For example, there is a municipality called Aparicio de Tajo in the province of Toledo, Spain, which likely derived its name from an early inhabitant with the surname.
Another example is the town of Aparicio-Pomares in the province of Zaragoza, Spain, which combines the surname Aparicio with the name Pomares, possibly indicating a merger of two families or settlements.
Over the centuries, variations of the spelling have emerged, such as Aparisi, Aparisi-Romero, and Aparisi-Navarro, reflecting regional dialects and personal preferences. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, rooted in the rich cultural tapestry of the Iberian Peninsula.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aparicio
Among Census respondents with the surname Aparicio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Aparicio 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 Aparicio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.9% · 12,225
- White4.8% · 627
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 62
- Black or African American0.4% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 32
- Two or more races0.2% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aparicio
Aparicio 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
#2,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,437
+4,850 bearers (+56.5%)
Per 100,000 4.56
Rank movement Up 1,109 places
2020
#2,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,025
-412 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 4.36
Rank movement Down 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,789 | 8,587 | 3.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,680 | 13,437 | 4.56 | +4,850 bearers (+56.5%) | Up 1,109 places |
| 2020 | #2,703 | 13,025 | 4.36 | -412 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 23 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 Aparicio 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 | #2,680 | #2,703 | -0.9% |
| Count | 13,437 | 13,025 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.56 | 4.36 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aparicio bearers went from 13,437 to 13,025 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,680 to #2,703.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Aparicio
FAQ
Aparicio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aparicio?
Name Census estimates that about 14,936 living Americans carry the surname Aparicio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,948 residents.
How common is Aparicio?
Aparicio ranks #2,703 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,025 people with the surname Aparicio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,936), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Aparicio.
Has Aparicio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aparicio went from 13,437 recorded bearers to 13,025. That is a decrease of 412 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,680 to #2,703.
What does the Census say about the background of Aparicio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aparicio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Aparicio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (12,225 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aparicio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.9%), White (4.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Aparicio (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 Aparicio mean?
A Spanish occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a butler or majordomo in a palace. 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 Aparicio (4.36 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 share the surname Aparicio?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.