2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Aptekar
A surname derived from the Russian word "apteka" meaning "pharmacy" or "apothecary".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Aptekar. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aptekar 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Aptekar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aptekar, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aptekar
The surname Aptekar originates from Russia and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Russian word "apteka," meaning "pharmacy" or "apothecary shop." The name likely referred to an individual who worked as an apothecary or pharmacist in those times.
In the 17th century, the name Aptekar was documented in various records and manuscripts, including the census records of the Russian Empire. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in 1642, when a merchant named Ivan Aptekar was mentioned in a trade registry in Moscow.
During the 18th century, the Aptekar family played a significant role in the development of the pharmaceutical industry in Russia. Nikolai Aptekar (1725-1792) was a renowned apothecary and herbalist who established one of the first pharmacies in St. Petersburg.
In the 19th century, the name Aptekar gained further prominence with the birth of Ivan Aptekar (1817-1891), a prominent chemist and inventor who developed several medicines and chemical compounds. His contributions to the field of chemistry were widely recognized, and he was awarded several honors during his lifetime.
Another notable figure was Ekaterina Aptekar (1856-1932), a pioneering female physician who founded one of the first women's clinics in Moscow. She dedicated her life to improving healthcare for women and children in Russia.
The Aptekar surname was also found in other regions of the Russian Empire, including Ukraine and Belarus. In the late 19th century, a branch of the Aptekar family settled in the town of Zhytomyr, where they established a successful apothecary business that continued to operate until the early 20th century.
Throughout history, the surname Aptekar has been associated with the fields of medicine, pharmacy, and chemistry, reflecting the profession and occupation that gave rise to this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aptekar
Among Census respondents with the surname Aptekar, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Aptekar 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 Aptekar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 104
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- Black or African American3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aptekar
Aptekar 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,862 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,267 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,862 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 7,267 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 Aptekar 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 | #139,228 | #146,495 | -5.2% |
| Count | 120 | 114 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aptekar bearers went from 120 to 114 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 7,267 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #146,495.
FAQ
Aptekar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aptekar?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Aptekar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Aptekar?
Aptekar ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Aptekar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Aptekar.
Has Aptekar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aptekar went from 120 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Aptekar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aptekar, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (3.5%). 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 Aptekar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aptekar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Black (3.5%). 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 Aptekar (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 Aptekar mean?
A surname derived from the Russian word "apteka" meaning "pharmacy" or "apothecary". 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 Aptekar (0.04 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 share the surname Aptekar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.