Surname Apel - Meaning and Origin

iGENEA DNA Analysis: Unearthing the Historical Roots of the Apel Surname

Embarking on a fascinating journey through iGENEA's detailed DNA analysis, I discovered the intriguing roots of my family name, Apel. Tracing back to Lower Saxony and Thuringia, the name has historically deep ties with Central Europe. Further revelations connecting the name to a medieval occupation rendered the past real and tangible.

Q. Apel

Apel: What does the surname Apel mean?

The last name Apel is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "apel", meaning "little apple". This name was used as a nickname for a person of a small stature, or who had features that reminded people of apples. This surname can also come from the family coat of arms which was a standing golden apple with a green stalk.

The Apel surname can be found mostly in Germany, but also in Estonia and France. It is believed that the family originated from the town of Apel which is located near Frankfurt in Germany.

As there may be multiple spellings of Apel, variants of the name include Apel, Appel, Apfel, Appelbaum, Apell, and Apfelbaum.

The Apel name is most prominently found in cities such as Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, and Frankfurt.

Today, the Apel name is a popular surname in Germany and in other parts of the world. Those with the Apel surname are typically courageous risk takers who are determined to achieve their goals. They are great organizers, but also tend to be hot-tempered and impulsive. They may come off as self-centered, but they have a combination of intuition and cunning that makes them formidable partners and adversaries.

Apel: Where does the name Apel come from?

The surname Apel is a German and Dutch patronymic surname, derived from the given name Apoll, which is ultimately derived from the Greek god Apollo. Historically, Apel is most closely associated with Germany, and is particularly common in Lower Saxony and nearby regions, with particularly high concentrations in the Ruhr region. However, the surname is also found in other parts of Germany (especially North Rhine-Westphalia), The Netherlands, and Scandinavia.

In recent decades, significant numbers of people from those regions have emigrated to other parts of the world, especially the United States, bringing Apel along with them. As a result, it is now a fairly common surname in countries such as the US and Canada, with large populations of German and Dutch immigrants. In the 2011 US census, over 3000 people had the surname Apel, the majority living in the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Minnesota.

Additionally, Apel has been adopted as a surname by people in some other countries, who have no ancestral connection to Germany or The Netherlands. For example, it can be seen in Brazil, where people with German or Dutch ancestry have migrated in large numbers, as well as in China, where there are many people bearing the name Apel with no connection to those countries.

Variations of the surname Apel

The surname Apel has a few variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin. These include Apple, Appel, Abele, Apfel, Appol, Abbel, Abill, Abillman, Appelman, Apell, Apels, Appels, Abels, Abel, Eppel, Epel, Abitt, Apeles, Apalt, Apaul, Apfelbaum, Apfell, Afell, Ibbel, Abelli, Apfelbauch, Appell, Abelek, Abelen, and Appohl.

This common surname has a few origins. It can be of Jewish or German descent, either from the Hebrew word apl meaning 'apple' or the German word Apfel meaning ‘apple’. In German, the surname was also an occupational name for an apple grower. Alternatively, it may have been used in a spiritual sense, as an Ancient Hebrew poet wrote the phrase “God is like an apple tree," which led to some Jewish families taking the surname Apel or Apfel.

In English, it may have been derived from the Old English word Aebbula, meaning ‘apple tree'. It can also have been derived as a nickname for someone with a round face or a ruddy complexion, seen as an allusion to an apple. Additionally, Apel can be a patronymic form of Abel, which is itself derived from the Hebrew name Hevel, meaning ‘breath’, ‘vapour’, or ‘transitory’.

In some parts of Europe, the spelling of Apel may have been changed to Apple, due to local dialects. In other parts, the spelling Appel may have been used, as the Dutch language use a double P when writing names. The change in spelling may also have been because of anti-Jewish sentiment during the Middle Ages, when Jews sought to hide their identity by taking Christian-sounding surnames.

Famous people with the name Apel

• Derek Apel, an American voice actor and TV personality.
• Joachim Apel, a German statesman and politician.
• Leonard Apel, a German-American crusader for fair trade and labor rights.
• Lutz Apel, a German footballer.
• Mathias Apel, a German entrepreneur and politician.
• Max Apel, a businessman and philanthropist from Germany.
• Dr. Robert K. Apel, an American professor of German and Modern European literature.
• Sonja Apel, a German professional cyclist.
• Yves Apel, a French singer and songwriter.
• Micky Apel, a German tennis player.
• Anke Apel, a German rifle shooter.
• Walther Apel, a German theatre and film actor.
• Uwe Apel, a German physicist and astrophysicist.
• Bernd Apel, a German actor and vocalist.
• Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich Apel, a European aristocrat.

Other surnames

ApelbaimApelbamApelboimApelbojmApelbomApelbumApeldoornApeldornApelebaumApelfordApelhansApellApellbaumApelsApeltApenzeller