2000
#8,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,370
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.25
Rare Last name
Applewhite
A surname derived from a place where apple trees were cultivated or a person who sold apples.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,227 Americans carry the last name Applewhite. That puts it at #8,566 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,087 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Applewhite 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 Applewhite with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,087
Census rank
#8,566
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,686 bearers of the surname Applewhite in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8566th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Applewhite, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.9%. The next largest groups are White (32.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Applewhite
The surname Applewhite originated in England during the late medieval period. It is a locative name, derived from a place name referring to a geographical location where apples were grown or an apple orchard existed. The first recorded spelling of the name dates back to the 14th century in the county of Hertfordshire.
The name is believed to have evolved from the Old English words "æppel" meaning apple and "hwit" meaning white, potentially referring to the color of the fruit or the appearance of the apple trees. Early variations of the spelling included Appulwhite, Apulwhite, and Appleqwhyte.
In the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there is a reference to a land holding in Hertfordshire called "Aeppeluuihte," which is thought to be the earliest recorded mention of the name's place of origin.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Applewhite was John Applewhite, born in 1532 in the village of Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire. He was a farmer and landowner who played a role in the local community.
Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Applewhite (1602-1679), a wealthy merchant and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Hertford in the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the Applewhite family had a presence in the county of Suffolk, where Robert Applewhite (1712-1786) was a prominent landowner and local magistrate.
During the Victorian era, the name gained recognition through the achievements of Charles Applewhite (1818-1892), a renowned architect who designed several prominent buildings in London, including the Royal Opera House.
Another influential figure was Mary Applewhite (1846-1924), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights, who founded one of the first schools for girls in the city of Manchester.
Throughout its history, the surname Applewhite has been associated with various professions and social classes, from farmers and merchants to politicians and professionals, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Applewhite
Among Census respondents with the surname Applewhite, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.9%. The next largest groups are White (32.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Applewhite 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 Applewhite surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American57.9% · 2,136
- White32.1% · 1,184
- Two or more races4.6% · 171
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 163
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Applewhite
Applewhite 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
#8,882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,687
+317 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Up 44 places
2020
#8,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,686
-1 bearers (-0.0%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Up 316 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,926 | 3,370 | 1.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,882 | 3,687 | 1.25 | +317 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 44 places |
| 2020 | #8,566 | 3,686 | 1.23 | -1 bearers (-0.0%) | Up 316 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 Applewhite 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 | #8,882 | #8,566 | 3.6% |
| Count | 3,687 | 3,686 | -0.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.23 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Applewhite bearers went from 3,687 to 3,686 (+-0.0% change). The surname moved up 316 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,882 to #8,566.
FAQ
Applewhite surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Applewhite?
Name Census estimates that about 4,227 living Americans carry the surname Applewhite. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,087 residents.
How common is Applewhite?
Applewhite ranks #8,566 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 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 3,686 people with the surname Applewhite. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,227), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 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 Applewhite.
Has Applewhite become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Applewhite went from 3,687 recorded bearers to 3,686. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,882 to #8,566.
What does the Census say about the background of Applewhite?
Among Census respondents with the surname Applewhite, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.9%. The next largest groups are White (32.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Applewhite in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.9% (2,136 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Applewhite appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (57.9%), White (32.1%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Applewhite (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 Applewhite mean?
A surname derived from a place where apple trees were cultivated or a person who sold apples. 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 Applewhite (1.23 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 are called Applewhite?
You can see how many people have the last name Applewhite on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.