2000
#11,864
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,416
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Apperson
An English occupational surname for a person who made or sold apples or worked in an apple orchard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,136 Americans carry the last name Apperson. That puts it at #15,186 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,466 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Apperson 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
2.1K
1 in 160,466
Census rank
#15,186
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,863 bearers of the surname Apperson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15186th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Apperson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Apperson
The surname Apperson is believed to have originated in England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "appel" and "feld," meaning "apple field" or "apple orchard," likely referring to someone who either lived near or worked in an apple orchard.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Apperson is found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from the year 1182, where a Richard de Applefeld is mentioned. This suggests that the name may have initially been spelled as "Applefeld" or a similar variation.
During the 13th century, the name appears to have evolved to its modern spelling of "Apperson." In 1273, a John Apperson is recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, providing evidence of the name's transition and its presence in various regions of England.
The Apperson surname is not found in the Domesday Book, the famous record compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This indicates that the name likely emerged after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
Notable individuals with the surname Apperson throughout history include:
1. William Apperson (1575-1647), an English merchant and landowner who owned estates in Gloucestershire.
2. Elizabeth Apperson (1634-1702), an early settler in the Virginia Colony and one of the first English women to be granted land in the colony.
3. John Apperson (1765-1842), an American farmer and Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia.
4. Thomas Apperson (1795-1877), an English clergyman and author who wrote several theological works.
5. Mary Apperson (1845-1922), an American educator and activist for women's rights, known for her work in establishing schools for girls in Virginia.
While the name Apperson is not as common as some other English surnames, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be found in various regions of England and later in the American colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Apperson
Among Census respondents with the surname Apperson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Apperson 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 Apperson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 1,683
- Two or more races3.5% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 64
- Black or African American1.9% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Apperson
Apperson 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
#14,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,016
-400 bearers (-16.6%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 2,875 places
2020
#15,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,863
-153 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 447 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,864 | 2,416 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,739 | 2,016 | 0.68 | -400 bearers (-16.6%) | Down 2,875 places |
| 2020 | #15,186 | 1,863 | 0.62 | -153 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 447 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 Apperson 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 | #14,739 | #15,186 | -3.0% |
| Count | 2,016 | 1,863 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.62 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Apperson bearers went from 2,016 to 1,863 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 447 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,739 to #15,186.
FAQ
Apperson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Apperson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,136 living Americans carry the surname Apperson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,466 residents.
How common is Apperson?
Apperson ranks #15,186 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,863 people with the surname Apperson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Apperson.
Has Apperson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Apperson went from 2,016 recorded bearers to 1,863. That is a decrease of 153 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,739 to #15,186.
What does the Census say about the background of Apperson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Apperson, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Apperson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (1,683 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Apperson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Apperson (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 Apperson mean?
An English occupational surname for a person who made or sold apples or worked in an apple orchard. 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 Apperson (0.62 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 Americans have the surname Apperson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.