Appleby
A habitational surname meaning “from Appleby,” taken from several English place-names with an Old Norse ending meaning “farm” or “settlement.”
The #6,161 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 55,570 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Appleby is a habitational surname from one or more English places called Appleby, including places in Westmorland, Lincolnshire, and Leicestershire. The first element is generally understood as 'apple,' while the final -by comes from Old Norse and means 'farm,' 'village,' or 'settlement.' So the name originally meant something like 'apple farm' or 'apple settlement.'
History
Historical surname dictionaries treat Appleby as a straightforward local surname, and the forms Applebee and Applebea are given as later spelling variants. The name is especially associated in the records with English counties such as Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, and Westmorland, and it spread overseas with English migration. Early bearers include medieval clerics and churchmen recorded as de Appleby.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The ending -by is a hallmark of Viking-age place-names in England, which is why Appleby looks a little more Scandinavian than many other English surnames.
From the historical record
“London, I, o ; Boatoa (U.S.), o^ i . Appleby, Applebea, Appel- bee. — Local, 'of Appleby,' parishes in COS. Westm., Lincoln, and Lei- cester. Many local surnames end- ing in by are now found as btt, as this dictionary proves in various”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances