2000
#36,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 568
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Rare Last name
Apt
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near an abbey or other religious building.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,760 Americans carry the last name Apt. That puts it at #9,484 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,158 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Apt 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
3.8K
1 in 91,158
Census rank
#9,484
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,279 bearers of the surname Apt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9484th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Apt, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.8%) and Black (17.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Apt
The surname Apt originated in England during the late medieval period, derived from the Old English word "aept" meaning "apt" or "suitable." It was likely first used as a nickname for someone considered particularly skilled or well-suited for a particular task or occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Apt can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where a John Apte is listed as residing in Oxfordshire. The spelling variations in these early records include Apte, Apete, and Atte Apte, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings at the time.
In the 14th century, the name Apt appears in several manorial records and tax rolls, indicating its gradual spread across various regions of England. Notable examples include Robert Apte, listed in the Poll Tax of Yorkshire in 1379, and William Apte, recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1327.
The Apt surname is also found in various place names, such as Apton in Suffolk, which was once known as Apton Atte Apte, suggesting a connection between the surname and the location.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Apt surname was Sir John Apt (c. 1380-1459), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reigns of Henry V and Henry VI.
Another notable figure was William Apt (c. 1510-1587), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the City of London, who served as Sheriff of London in 1567.
In the 17th century, the Apt surname gained prominence through the achievements of Thomas Apt (1621-1688), a renowned theologian and author who served as the Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
During the 18th century, the name Apt was carried by several influential figures, including the philosopher and writer Richard Apt (1712-1780) and the pioneering naturalist and explorer James Apt (1745-1821), who made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in the Americas.
In the 19th century, the Apt surname was associated with the industrialist and philanthropist Robert Apt (1823-1899), whose legacy included the establishment of several charitable foundations and educational institutions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Apt
Among Census respondents with the surname Apt, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.8%) and Black (17.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Apt 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 Apt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.1% · 1,709
- Hispanic or Latino20.8% · 683
- Black or African American17.3% · 566
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.4% · 244
- Two or more races1.7% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Apt
Apt 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
#41,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 530
-38 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 4,101 places
2020
#9,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,279
+2,749 bearers (+518.7%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Up 31,616 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #36,999 | 568 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #41,100 | 530 | 0.18 | -38 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 4,101 places |
| 2020 | #9,484 | 3,279 | 1.10 | +2,749 bearers (+518.7%) | Up 31,616 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 Apt 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 | #41,100 | #9,484 | 76.9% |
| Count | 530 | 3,279 | 518.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 1.10 | 509.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Apt bearers went from 530 to 3,279 (+518.7% change). The surname moved up 31,616 positions in the national ranking, going from #41,100 to #9,484.
FAQ
Apt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Apt?
Name Census estimates that about 3,760 living Americans carry the surname Apt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,158 residents.
How common is Apt?
Apt ranks #9,484 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,279 people with the surname Apt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,760), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Apt.
Has Apt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Apt went from 530 recorded bearers to 3,279. That is an increase of 2,749 (+518.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #41,100 to #9,484.
What does the Census say about the background of Apt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Apt, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.8%) and Black (17.3%). 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 Apt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.1% (1,709 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Apt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.1%), Hispanic (20.8%), Black (17.3%). 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 Apt (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 Apt mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near an abbey or other religious building. 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 Apt (1.10 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 common is the surname Apt?
If you just want to know how common the surname Apt is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.