Find out how popular the last name Arakelyan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Arakelyan.

Arakelyan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Arakelyan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arakelyan in America

Arakelyan is the 35057th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arakelyan surname appeared 643 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Arakelyan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arakelyan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Arakelyan

The surname ARAKELYAN has its origins in Armenia, an ancient country located in the Caucasus region at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. This surname traces its roots back to the medieval era, around the 10th to 13th centuries.

The name ARAKELYAN is derived from the Armenian personal name "Arakel," which itself is a combination of two words: "ara," meaning "altar" or "sacrificial place," and "kel," meaning "servant" or "attendant." Thus, the name ARAKELYAN likely referred to individuals or families who served in religious or ceremonial capacities, particularly as attendants or caretakers of altars or sacred places.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ARAKELYAN can be found in a 12th-century manuscript from the Haghbat Monastery, a prominent Armenian monastic complex located in the province of Lori. This manuscript mentions an individual named Hovhannes Arakelyan, who is believed to have been a scribe or scholar associated with the monastery.

Another notable early mention of the ARAKELYAN name is in the "Ganjaran," a 13th-century Armenian legal code compiled during the reign of the Zakarian dynasty. The code references a certain Grigor Arakelyan, who is described as a respected legal scholar and advisor to the royal court.

In the 16th century, a prominent Armenian writer and historian named Arakel Arakelyan (1517-1594) gained recognition for his chronicles documenting the tumultuous events of his time, including the Ottoman-Persian wars and the struggles of the Armenian people under foreign rule.

During the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the ARAKELYAN surname was Mkhitar Arakelyan (1706-1771), an influential Armenian philosopher and theologian who is credited with establishing the first Armenian printing press in Madras, India.

In more recent history, the ARAKELYAN name has been associated with several accomplished individuals, such as the Armenian-American artist Arshile Gorky (born Vosdanik Adoian, 1904-1948), whose mother's maiden name was ARAKELYAN. Gorky is widely regarded as a crucial figure in the development of Abstract Expressionism in the United States.

Another notable bearer of the ARAKELYAN surname was Vazgen Arakelyan (1921-1992), an Armenian composer and conductor who made significant contributions to the development of Armenian classical music in the 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arakelyan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Arakelyan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Arakelyan was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Arakelyan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Arakelyan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Arakelyan, please contact us.

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