Arville
A masculine name possibly derived from French elements signifying "protector of the nobles."
Name Census estimates that about 193 living Americans carry the first name Arville. It is a predominantly male name (98.6% of registrations). The average person named Arville today is around 77 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Arville births was 1923 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Arville. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Arville is about 77 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Arvilles were born before 1959.
People living today
193
~ 1 in 1,775,929 Americans
Peak year
1923
29 babies that year
Average age
77
years old
1977 SSA rank
#5,074
Tracked since 1907
Census
Arville in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 242 people with the first name Arville, which placed it at #33,953 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#33,953
National first-name rank
People counted
242
242 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
82.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arville
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Arville is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Arville described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Arville at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 200
- Black or African American11.2% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 6
- Two or more races0.8% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Arville
Arville leans heavily male at 98.6% of total registrations, but 11 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Arville as a male name
- Ranked #5,172 in 1977
- 6 male births in 1977
- Peak: 1923 (29 births)
Arville as a female name
- Ranked #5,074 in 1922
- 5 female births in 1922
- Peak: 1909 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Arville leans strongly male. 228 people counted with this name were male (96.2%), compared with 9 female bearers (3.8%).
Popularity
Arville: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Arville from the 1900s through to the 1970s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 219 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Arville by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Arville during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Arvilles live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Kentucky, Texas, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Arville, while Tennessee, Texas, Kentucky recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 23 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Arville
The name Arville is a unique and intriguing one, with its origins shrouded in mystery. While its precise etymology remains uncertain, it is believed to have originated from a combination of two distinct linguistic roots – the Old French word "arve" and the Latin word "villa."
The Old French "arve" is derived from the Latin word "arva," which means "plowed field" or "cultivated land." This suggests that the name Arville may have been associated with agricultural or rural communities in its early days. The Latin word "villa," on the other hand, refers to a country house or a farm estate, further reinforcing the pastoral connotations of the name.
Historically, the earliest recorded instances of the name Arville date back to the Middle Ages, particularly in regions like France and parts of modern-day Germany. These early mentions often appeared in medieval records, such as land deeds, tax rolls, and local chronicles, providing glimpses into the lives of individuals bearing this moniker.
While the name Arville may not have been widely documented in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been carried by several notable figures throughout history. One such individual was Arville de Quenoche, a French knight who fought valiantly in the Hundred Years' War during the 14th century. His bravery and loyalty were celebrated in contemporary accounts of the time.
In the 16th century, Arville du Pont, a renowned French architect, left an indelible mark on the architectural landscape of his era. His masterful designs, which blended classical elements with innovative techniques, can still be admired in several historic buildings across France.
Moving into the 19th century, Arville Delamotte, a French painter, gained recognition for his stunning landscapes and portraits. His works, which captured the beauty of the French countryside, are now housed in prestigious art galleries and museums around the world.
Another notable figure bearing the name Arville was Arville Hickox, an American entrepreneur and philanthropist born in 1864. Hickox made his fortune in the textile industry and later devoted his efforts to various charitable causes, leaving a lasting impact on his community.
Finally, Arville Bowers, born in 1892, was a distinguished American educator who dedicated his life to improving educational opportunities for underprivileged children. His pioneering work in developing innovative teaching methods and establishing community-based learning programs earned him widespread respect and admiration.
While the name Arville may not have achieved widespread popularity throughout history, it has been carried by individuals who left their mark in various fields, from warfare and architecture to art and education. Despite its obscure origins, the name Arville has endured, imbued with a sense of rural charm and historical intrigue.
People
Arville + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Arville as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Arville: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Arville?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 193 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Arville going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,775,929 US residents.
Is Arville a common name?
We classify Arville as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 769 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Arville most popular?
The single biggest year for Arville was 1923, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Arville is about 77 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Arville in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 242 people with the name Arville, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,953 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Arville in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Arville?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Arville leans strongly male. 228 people counted with this name were male (96.2%), compared with 9 female bearers (3.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Arville?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Arville is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Arville most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Arville in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (200 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Arville in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Arville a male name?
Yes, 98.6% of people registered as Arville in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Arville still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Arville in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Arville can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Arville?
Find out how many people have the name Arville on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.