NameCensus.

UK surname

Apter

A surname derived from the Yiddish word for "tailor" or "seamster".

In the 1881 census there were 54 people recorded with the Apter surname, ranking it #26,009 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 115, ranked #28,348, down from #26,009 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hackney, Barnet and West Lancashire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Apter is 128 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 113.0%.

1881 census count

54

Ranked #26,009

Modern count

115

2016, ranked #28,348

Peak year

2010

128 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Apter had 54 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #26,009 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 115 in 2016, ranked #28,348.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 92 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Apter surname distribution map

The map shows where the Apter surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Apter surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Apter over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 44 #25,328
1861 historical 45 #28,296
1881 historical 54 #26,009
1891 historical 79 #26,897
1901 historical 78 #25,500
1911 historical 92 #23,580
1997 modern 102 #26,638
1998 modern 107 #26,555
1999 modern 105 #27,035
2000 modern 106 #26,848
2001 modern 109 #26,059
2002 modern 104 #27,303
2003 modern 103 #27,234
2004 modern 110 #26,451
2005 modern 104 #27,369
2006 modern 107 #27,179
2007 modern 116 #26,209
2008 modern 122 #25,638
2009 modern 126 #25,686
2010 modern 128 #26,036
2011 modern 126 #26,060
2012 modern 126 #26,148
2013 modern 120 #27,406
2014 modern 125 #26,896
2015 modern 115 #28,319
2016 modern 115 #28,348

Geography

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Where Apters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hackney, Barnet, West Lancashire and Stockbridge. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hackney 001 Hackney
2 Barnet 037 Barnet
3 West Lancashire 005 West Lancashire
4 Stockbridge City of Edinburgh
5 Barnet 034 Barnet

Forenames

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First names often paired with Apter

These lists show first names that appear often with the Apter surname in historical and recent records.

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Apter

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Apter, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

Nationally, the Apter surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Apter household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Apter is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Apter is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Apter falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Apter is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Other

This describes the area pattern most associated with Apter, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Apter

The surname Apter is of German or Yiddish origin, derived from the German word "Apotheker," which means "apothecary" or "pharmacist." It first emerged in the late medieval period, likely in the 14th or 15th century, in various regions of modern-day Germany and neighboring areas with significant Jewish populations.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Apter can be found in the Judenschreinsbucher, a series of Jewish tax records from the 14th century in the city of Nuremberg, Germany. These records contain entries for individuals with the surname Apter, indicating their presence in the region at that time.

The name Apter is also believed to have been associated with the town of Apt, located in the Provence region of southern France. This connection suggests that some bearers of the name may have originated from or resided in that area before migrating to other parts of Europe.

In the 16th century, the surname Apter appeared in various records and documents across central and eastern Europe, reflecting the widespread migration of Jewish communities during that period. Notable individuals bearing the name include Rabbi Yaakov Apter, a prominent 16th-century scholar and author from Krakow, Poland.

Over the centuries, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as Apter, Aptere, and Aptir being documented in various regions. In the 18th century, Johann Samuel Apter, a German composer and organist born in 1715, gained recognition for his contributions to the musical landscape of the time.

During the 19th century, the name Apter continued to be prominent among Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. One notable figure was Yitzchak Apter, a renowned Hasidic rabbi and leader of the Apter dynasty, who lived from 1837 to 1919 and was based in Opatów, Poland.

Another significant individual with the surname Apter was David Apter, a renowned political scientist and scholar born in 1924 in the United States. He made significant contributions to the study of political development and modernization theory.

Throughout its history, the surname Apter has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, reflecting its long-standing presence in various regions of Europe and beyond.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Apter families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Apter surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 21 Apters recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.36x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 21 3.36x
Cheshire 9 7.74x
Devon 7 6.38x
Suffolk 7 10.91x
Yorkshire 5 0.96x
Kent 3 1.67x
Somerset 1 1.18x
Warwickshire 1 0.75x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wavertree in Lancashire leads with 9 Apters recorded in 1881 and an index of 450.00x.

Place Total Index
Wavertree 9 450.00x
Laira 7 35000.00x
Birkenhead 6 64.72x
Kirkdale 6 57.09x
Lowestoft 5 165.02x
Toxteth Park 5 23.63x
York St Mary 5 231.48x
Liscard 3 143.54x
Ramsgate 3 102.39x
Gorleston 2 122.70x
Birmingham 1 2.26x
Tyldesley Cum Shakerley 1 55.56x
Walcot 1 22.12x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Apter surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Apter surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Apter households.

FAQ

Apter surname: questions and answers

How common was the Apter surname in 1881?

In 1881, 54 people were recorded with the Apter surname. That placed it at #26,009 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Apter surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 115 in 2016. That gives Apter a modern rank of #28,348.

What does the Apter surname mean?

A surname derived from the Yiddish word for "tailor" or "seamster".

What does the Apter map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Apter bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.