Explore the Family Name Apfel

The meaning of Apfel

1. German: from Middle High German apfel ‘apple’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of the fruit. 2. Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial or metonymic occupational name from German Apfel ‘apple’. Compare Appel and Apple. Some characteristic forenames: German Gunther, Irmgard.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Apfel in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Apfel saw a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 28,730th most common surname, but by 2010, it dropped to 30,420th position, marking a -5.88% change. The total number of individuals with this last name also experienced a minor dip during this period, decreasing by -1.54% from 780 to 768. Furthermore, the proportion per 100k people decreased by -10.34%, going from 0.29 to 0.26.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#28,730	#30,420	-5.88%
Count	780	768	-1.54%
Proportion per 100k	0.29	0.26	-10.34%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Apfel

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Apfel, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, is predominantly White, making up 95.83% of individuals with this surname in 2010, a marginal decrease from 96.28% in 2000. Interestingly, there was a noticeable increase in those identifying as Hispanic over the decade, rising from 0.77% to 1.30%. The percentage of those claiming two or more races also increased slightly from 2.05% to 2.21%. There were no recorded instances of the surname among the Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native communities either in 2000 or 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
White	96.28%	95.83%	-0.47%
Two or More Races	2.05%	2.21%	7.8%
Hispanic	0.77%	1.3%	68.83%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%