2000
#4,698
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,898
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.56
Rare Last name
Apple
An English surname likely referring to a person who grew or sold apples, or lived near an apple orchard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,806 Americans carry the last name Apple. That puts it at #4,999 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,909 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Apple 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 Apple with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 43,909
Census rank
#4,999
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,807 bearers of the surname Apple in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4999th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Apple, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Apple
The surname Apple is of English origin and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "æppel," which referred to the fruit of the apple tree. This name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who lived near an apple orchard or was associated with the cultivation or sale of apples.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Apple can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and wealth in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Appeldor," which translates to "apple tree." This entry suggests that the name was already in use during the Norman period.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records with different spellings, such as "Appel," "Appulle," and "Apelby." These variations reflect the evolution of the English language and the inconsistencies in spelling during that time period.
Historically, the Apple surname has been associated with several notable individuals, including:
1. Thomas Appele (c. 1370-1437), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1420 to 1424.
2. John Apple (c. 1500-1570), an English merchant and trader who is mentioned in the records of the Merchant Adventurers' Company of York.
3. William Apple (1585-1661), an English settler in Virginia who is considered one of the earliest colonists of the Virginia Colony.
4. Jonathan Apple (1669-1745), an American farmer and landowner from Massachusetts who was one of the earliest settlers in the town of Ipswich.
5. Johann Georg Apple (1717-1801), a German-American farmer and pioneer who settled in Pennsylvania and is credited with introducing the apple variety known as the "Apple Pie" or "Pennsylvania Apple Pie."
The Apple surname has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Appledore in Devon and Appleton in Cheshire, which further reinforces its connection to the cultivation and trade of apples in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Apple
Among Census respondents with the surname Apple, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Apple 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 Apple surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 5,844
- Two or more races3.8% · 256
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 221
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.1% · 211
- Black or African American3.0% · 205
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 70
Timeline
Historical Census data for Apple
Apple 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
#5,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,948
+50 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 2.36
Rank movement Down 352 places
2020
#4,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,807
-141 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 2.28
Rank movement Up 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,698 | 6,898 | 2.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,050 | 6,948 | 2.36 | +50 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 352 places |
| 2020 | #4,999 | 6,807 | 2.28 | -141 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 51 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 Apple 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 | #5,050 | #4,999 | 1.0% |
| Count | 6,948 | 6,807 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.36 | 2.28 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Apple bearers went from 6,948 to 6,807 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,050 to #4,999.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Apple
FAQ
Apple surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Apple?
Name Census estimates that about 7,806 living Americans carry the surname Apple. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,909 residents.
How common is Apple?
Apple ranks #4,999 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,807 people with the surname Apple. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,806), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Apple.
Has Apple become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Apple went from 6,948 recorded bearers to 6,807. That is a decrease of 141 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,050 to #4,999.
What does the Census say about the background of Apple?
Among Census respondents with the surname Apple, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Apple in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (5,844 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Apple appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Apple (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 Apple mean?
An English surname likely referring to a person who grew or sold apples, or lived near 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 Apple (2.28 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 surname Apple?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.