APPLEGATE
The surname Applegate is of English origin and is a locational name, indicating residence near a particular feature. It is derived from the Old English words æppel meaning “apple” and gate meaning “gate” or “road”. The literal translation is therefore “the gate to the apple garden”, suggesting a link with apple cultivation or a place where an orchard was accessed or overseen.
Over time the name evolved into a variety of spellings, the earliest known example being that of William de Apelgart who appears in the register of the abbey of St Edmunds in Suffolk. The name was also recorded in the medieval Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire as Robert Applegarth in 1279, and the accounts of the Duchy of Cornwall list Richard de Appelgarthe for the same year. Later, an example of the spelling Applegate occurs in the 18th‑century marriage record of Robert Applegate and Mary Crouch at St George's Chapel, Hanover Square, London, in 1760.
Applegate is associated with several English villages – most notably Applegarth in East Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Cumberland – all of which lay within areas of Viking settlement during the 7th to 11th centuries. The Old Norse–Viking term apladr-garor is thought to be a linguistic ancestor, reflecting the apple trees that were significant in those localities. In medieval practice a surname often identified a person by the place of origin or by the estate of which they were lord.
The name has survived in various spellings, including Applegate, Applegarth, Applegath, Appelgate, Apelcot, Applecots, Appelgath, Appleget and several others. These variations arise from differing regional pronunciations, the anglicisation of earlier forms, and the lack of a standardised spelling until well into the modern period.
In addition to its presence in the north of England, the surname was first recorded in Norfolk in the 14th century. From there it spread throughout Britain and into the wider English‑speaking world. Today it is found in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the United States, though it remains less common than surnames such as Smith or Johnson.
In the United States the name gained particular attention because of the Applegate Trail, the southern route of the Oregon Trail, named after the pioneer Jesse Applegate. While this association increased the name's visibility, it has not made it a frequent surname in contemporary usage. The surname therefore retains a historical significance that is tied both to medieval English locality and to early American westward expansion, remaining a distinctive marker of ancestral ties to apple orchards and the geography associated with them.
Typical given names associated with the Applegate surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- George
- James
- John
- Kevin
- Mark
- Matthew
- Michael
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Alison
- Angela
- Elizabeth
- Joanna
- Joanne
- Karen
- Laura
- Louise
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- Susan
- Victoria
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Applegate in...
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There are approximately 1,119 people named Applegate in the UK. That makes it roughly the 6,768th most common surname in Britain. Around 17 in a million people in Britain are named Applegate.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Applegate
- Christina Applegate - American actress
- Jessica-Jane Applegate - Paralympic swimmer
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.