Show ContentsAppel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Appel is derived from the Middle English "appel," meaning "apple." The name may have been originally borne by a grower or seller of apples, or by someone living near an apple tree. Alternatively, the name may have been first bestowed as a nickname on someone with bright red cheeks.

Early Origins of the Appel family

The surname Appel was first found in various counties and shires during the reign of King Edward III, between 1327 and 1377. The first known bearer of the name was Nicholas Appelman, who was listed in the Close Rolls (1204-1227)

Early History of the Appel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Appel research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Appel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Appel Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Apple, Appel, Appleman, Appelman and others.

Early Notables of the Appel family

More information is included under the topic Early Appel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Appel Ranking

In the United States, the name Appel is the 4,654th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. [1]


United States Appel migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Appel or a variant listed above were:

Appel Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Jan Louwrensz Appel, who arrived in New York in 1648 [2]
  • Adriaen Appel, who landed in New York in 1649 [2]
Appel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Andreas Appel, who arrived in New York in 1709 [2]
  • Johan Appel, who landed in New York in 1709 [2]
  • Johan Hoog Appel, who landed in New York in 1709 [2]
  • Henrich Appel, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 [2]
  • Joh Appel, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1737 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Appel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mrs. Adam Appel, who landed in North America in 1836 [2]
  • Hienrick Appel, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1844 [2]
  • Matthews Appel, aged 31, who landed in Missouri in 1844 [2]
  • Adam Appel, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 [2]
  • Franz Appel, aged 35, who landed in Missouri in 1848 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Appel migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Appel Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • C F Appel, who arrived in Quebec in 1850

Contemporary Notables of the name Appel (post 1700) +

  • Martin E. Appel (b. 1948), American public relations executive and author
  • Staci Lynn Appel (b. 1966), American politician, Member of the Iowa Senate (2007-2011)
  • Colette Appel (b. 1986), American former pair skater
  • Andrew Wilson Appel (b. 1960), American Eugene Higgins Professor of computer science at Princeton University
  • Richard James "Rich" Appel (b. 1963), American comedy writer, producer and former attorney; he wrote for the Harvard Lampoon and was executive producer of King of the Hill
  • Jacob M. Appel (b. 1973), American author, bioethicist, physician, lawyer and social critic, best known for his novel, The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up, which won the Dundee International Book Prize in 2012
  • Jayne Appel (b. 1988), American three-time gold medalist center for the San Antonio Silver Stars
  • Kenneth Ira Appel (1932-2013), American mathematician who co-solved one of the most famous problems in mathematics, the four-color theorem
  • Mark Stewart Appel (b. 1991), American professional baseball pitcher, awarded the 2012 National Pitcher of the Year Award
  • Mike Appel (b. 1942), American music industry manager and record producer, early manager for Bruce Springsteen
  • ... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Triangle Waist Company
  • Miss Dora Appel, American garment worker who was working at Triangle Waist Company factory at the Asch building in Greenwich Village on the 25th March 1911 when fire broke out; she survived the fire [3]


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (retrieved on 3rd August 2021.) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire


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