April Family History

Americanized form (translation into English) of any of several European surnames meaning ‘April’ (Latin aprilis) for example Italian Aprile German Abrell and Aprill (see 2 below) Polish Kwiecień (see Kwiecien). There were several possible connections between the month and the surname; for example it may have been applied to someone who rendered homage or paid rent to an overlord in April or as a personal name bestowed on a child born in April.

German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from Middle High German abrille, German April ‘April’ (see 1 above). This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine). As a Jewish name it is artificial.

English: from Middle English April, the name of the month. Compare Averill. There is no evidence for the use of April as a personal name before the 19th century.

April is found in England as a surname from the 13th and 14th centuries onward but it is unknown if the medieval surname survived into modern times.