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

Appleby, 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 Appleby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Appleby in America

Appleby is the 6161st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Appleby surname appeared 5,556 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Appleby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Appleby 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 Appleby

The surname Appleby has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the town of Appleby in Westmorland, now part of Cumbria. The name itself is believed to come from the Old Norse words "apall" meaning apple and "by" meaning a farmstead or village, suggesting it was originally a place where apples were grown or cultivated.

Appleby is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest comprehensive record of landholdings and population in England, indicating the long-standing presence of this name. The town of Appleby itself was an important market town during the Middle Ages and was granted a charter by King Henry II in the late 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Appleby was William de Appelby, who was mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls for Yorkshire in 1212. Other early references include Robert de Appleby, a cleric who served as the Bishop of Carlisle from 1363 to 1395, and Sir Edmund Appleby (c.1370-1448), a prominent English soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was later made a Knight of the Garter.

In the 16th century, John Appleby (c.1500-1568) was an English Protestant reformer and scholar who served as the chaplain to Edward VI and later as the Archbishop of Canterbury's chaplain. Another notable figure was Andrew Appleby (1564-1628), an English clergyman who became the Bishop of Bangor and later the Bishop of Carlisle.

During the English Civil War, Sir Henry Appleby (1594-1670) was a Royalist commander who fought for King Charles I and was later knighted for his services. In the 18th century, Leonard Appleby (1695-1772) was an English painter known for his landscapes and portraits.

Throughout history, the Appleby name has been associated with various places and locales where families with this surname resided or had connections. Examples include Appleby Parva and Appleby Magna in Leicestershire, Appleby in Lincolnshire, and Appleby in Derbyshire, among others. The name has also been recorded with various spellings, such as Applebie, Appulby, and Appilby, reflecting regional variations and changes over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Appleby

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

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

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

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