2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Apger
A habitational surname derived from a Germanic place name meaning "by the small river."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Apger. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Apger 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Apger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Apger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Apger
The surname APGER has its origins in Armenia, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Armenian word "apker," which means "refuge" or "shelter." The name likely originated in the region of Artsakh, which was a part of the historic Armenian Kingdom.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name APGER can be found in a 13th-century manuscript from the Dadivank Monastery in Artsakh. The manuscript mentions an individual named Hovhannes Apger, who was a scribe and calligrapher.
In the 14th century, the name APGER appeared in the records of the Cilician Armenian Kingdom, which ruled over parts of modern-day Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. One notable figure from this period was Toros Apger, a military commander who fought against the Mamluk Sultanate in the Battle of Ravendan in 1375.
During the 15th century, the name APGER was prominent in the Armenian communities of the Ottoman Empire. A merchant named Khachatur Apger is mentioned in the records of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, dated 1487.
In the 16th century, the name APGER was found in the records of the Armenian communities in Persia (modern-day Iran). One notable individual was Avetis Apger, a renowned physician and scholar who lived in the city of Julfa from 1540 to 1617.
Another significant bearer of the name APGER was Khoren Apger, a 17th-century Armenian poet and writer who was born in the city of Khizan (modern-day Turkey) in 1625. His works were influential in shaping the literary traditions of the Armenian Renaissance.
In the 19th century, the name APGER gained prominence in the Armenian diaspora communities of Europe and the Americas. One notable figure was Arshag Apger, a renowned artist and painter who was born in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) in 1838 and later lived in Paris, where he gained recognition for his portraits and landscapes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Apger
Among Census respondents with the surname Apger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Apger 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 Apger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 103
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Apger
Apger 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-5 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,613 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+9 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,767 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 15,613 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.8%) | Up 9,767 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 Apger 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 | #158,432 | #148,665 | 6.2% |
| Count | 102 | 111 | 8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Apger bearers went from 102 to 111 (+8.8% change). The surname moved up 9,767 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #148,665.
FAQ
Apger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Apger?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Apger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Apger?
Apger ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Apger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Apger.
Has Apger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Apger went from 102 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 9 (+8.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Apger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Apger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Apger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Apger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Apger (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 Apger mean?
A habitational surname derived from a Germanic place name meaning "by the small river." 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 Apger (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 are called Apger?
Find out how many people are called Apger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.