2000
#18,811
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,346
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.50
Rare Last name
Apolinar
Of Spanish origin, derived from the Latin name Apollinaris, meaning "belonging to Apollo" or "of Apollo."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,248 Americans carry the last name Apolinar. That puts it at #14,592 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,471 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Apolinar 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
2.2K
1 in 152,471
Census rank
#14,592
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,960 bearers of the surname Apolinar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14592nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Apolinar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.2%) and White (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Apolinar
The surname Apolinar is of Spanish origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula. It is derived from the Latin name "Apollinaris," which was a name given to children born on the festival day of the god Apollo. This name gained popularity during the Roman era and was later adopted by early Christians.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Apolinar can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in regions like Castile, Aragon, and Andalusia. One notable individual bearing this name was Apolinar de Almería, a Franciscan friar and theologian from the city of Almería in southern Spain, who lived in the late 13th century.
In the 15th century, the surname Apolinar appeared in several ecclesiastical records, such as those of the Diocese of Seville, suggesting that some members of the clergy bore this name. One prominent figure from this era was Apolinar de Toro (1460-1525), a Spanish philosopher and theologian who taught at the University of Salamanca.
As the Spanish Empire expanded into the Americas during the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Apolinar was carried across the Atlantic by conquistadors, settlers, and missionaries. One notable individual was Apolinar de Saravia (1537-1613), a Spanish theologian and Anglican clergyman who played a role in the Protestant Reformation in England.
In the 18th century, the surname Apolinar was associated with several notable figures in the arts and sciences. For example, Apolinar de Almería (1712-1784) was a renowned Spanish painter and engraver known for his religious works, while Apolinar de Rato (1725-1802) was a Spanish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname Apolinar continued to be found among individuals from various walks of life, including writers, politicians, and military figures. One notable example was Apolinar de Retes (1825-1896), a Mexican general and politician who played a prominent role in the Reform War and the French Intervention in Mexico.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Apolinar
Among Census respondents with the surname Apolinar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.2%) and White (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Apolinar 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 Apolinar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.9% · 1,683
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.2% · 141
- White5.5% · 108
- Two or more races0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Apolinar
Apolinar 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
#14,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,052
+706 bearers (+52.5%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 4,283 places
2020
#14,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,960
-92 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 64 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,811 | 1,346 | 0.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,528 | 2,052 | 0.70 | +706 bearers (+52.5%) | Up 4,283 places |
| 2020 | #14,592 | 1,960 | 0.66 | -92 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 64 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 Apolinar 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 | #14,528 | #14,592 | -0.4% |
| Count | 2,052 | 1,960 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.66 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Apolinar bearers went from 2,052 to 1,960 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 64 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,528 to #14,592.
FAQ
Apolinar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Apolinar?
Name Census estimates that about 2,248 living Americans carry the surname Apolinar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,471 residents.
How common is Apolinar?
Apolinar ranks #14,592 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,960 people with the surname Apolinar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,248), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Apolinar.
Has Apolinar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Apolinar went from 2,052 recorded bearers to 1,960. That is a decrease of 92 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,528 to #14,592.
What does the Census say about the background of Apolinar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Apolinar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.2%) and White (5.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Apolinar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (1,683 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Apolinar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.2%), White (5.5%). 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 Apolinar (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 Apolinar mean?
Of Spanish origin, derived from the Latin name Apollinaris, meaning "belonging to Apollo" or "of Apollo." 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 Apolinar (0.66 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 Apolinar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.