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

Apodaca, 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 Apodaca surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Apodaca in America

Apodaca is the 3202nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Apodaca surname appeared 11,280 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Apodaca.

We can also compare 2010 data for Apodaca 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 Apodaca

The surname Apodaca is of Spanish origin, with its roots traced back to the Castilian region of Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a toponymic surname, derived from the name of a specific place or geographic location.

One theory suggests that the name Apodaca is derived from the Basque word "apodaka," which means "place of the bailiff" or "the bailiff's dwelling." This connection implies that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been associated with administrative roles or held positions of authority within their local communities.

Another possibility is that the name Apodaca stems from the Spanish word "apodado," meaning "nicknamed." In this case, the surname could have been bestowed upon an individual who was given a specific nickname, which then became adopted as a family name over time.

Historical records indicate that the Apodaca surname can be found in various Spanish documents and manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries, suggesting its early establishment as a hereditary surname. One notable mention is in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century manuscript detailing hunting practices in medieval Spain, which includes references to individuals with the surname Apodaca.

In the 16th century, during the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the Apodaca name began to spread across the new territories. One of the earliest recorded instances is Juan de Apodaca, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico and served as a military leader under Hernán Cortés in the early 1500s.

Another prominent figure bearing this surname was Rodrigo de Apodaca y Pavón (1742-1824), a Spanish naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor-General of Cuba from 1812 to 1816.

In the literary realm, the Spanish playwright and poet Antonio de Apodaca (1568-1632) gained recognition for his works during the Golden Age of Spanish literature in the 17th century.

Moving into the 18th century, José María Apodaca y Loreto (1760-1835) was a Spanish military officer and viceroy of New Spain (present-day Mexico) from 1816 to 1821, overseeing the crucial transition period that led to Mexican independence.

More recently, Juan José Apodaca (1916-1998) was a prominent Mexican-American politician who served as the 19th Governor of New Mexico from 1975 to 1979, leaving a lasting impact on the state's political landscape.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Apodaca

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

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 Apodaca 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 Apodaca 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 Apodaca was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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