2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Apotheker
A German occupational surname meaning "apothecary" or "pharmacist".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Apotheker. 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 Apotheker 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 Apotheker 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 Apotheker, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Apotheker
The surname Apotheker originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Apotheker," which means "pharmacist" or "apothecary." The earliest known use of the name dates back to the 13th century, when it referred to individuals who worked in the profession of preparing and selling medicines and remedies.
In medieval times, apothecaries played an important role in society, as they were responsible for providing medical treatments and remedies to the public. The name Apotheker was likely given to individuals who worked in this trade, either as a descriptive surname or as a way to identify their occupation.
Some of the earliest recorded examples of the name Apotheker can be found in various historical documents from German-speaking regions. For instance, the name appears in the records of the city of Nuremberg in the 14th century, where several individuals with this surname were listed as apothecaries or pharmacists.
One notable historical figure with the surname Apotheker was Johannes Apotheker, a German pharmacist and alchemist who lived in the 15th century. He is known for his contributions to the study of alchemy and his writings on the preparation of various medicines and remedies.
Another individual of note was Hieronymus Apotheker, a German physician and botanist who lived in the 16th century. He authored several works on the medicinal properties of plants and contributed to the development of early pharmacology.
In the 17th century, Hans Apotheker was a prominent apothecary in the city of Frankfurt. He owned and operated a successful pharmacy and was respected for his expertise in the field of medicine and pharmaceuticals.
During the 18th century, the Apotheker family in the city of Cologne was renowned for their long-standing tradition of operating a respected apothecary business. The family had several members who worked as apothecaries and pharmacists over multiple generations.
The surname Apotheker can also be found in various historical records from other German-speaking regions, such as Austria and Switzerland, indicating the widespread presence of individuals with this occupation-based surname throughout Central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Apotheker
Among Census respondents with the surname Apotheker, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Apotheker 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 Apotheker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Apotheker
Apotheker 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
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,225 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 2,225 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 Apotheker 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 | #147,253 | #145,028 | 1.5% |
| Count | 112 | 116 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Apotheker bearers went from 112 to 116 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 2,225 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #145,028.
FAQ
Apotheker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Apotheker?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Apotheker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Apotheker?
Apotheker 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 Apotheker. 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 Apotheker.
Has Apotheker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Apotheker went from 112 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 4 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Apotheker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Apotheker, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Apotheker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Apotheker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Hispanic (3.4%), Black (0.9%). 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 Apotheker (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 Apotheker mean?
A German occupational surname meaning "apothecary" or "pharmacist". 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 Apotheker (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 last name Apotheker?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Apotheker is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.