2000
#7,063
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,367
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.62
Rare Last name
Arambula
A Basque habitational surname referring to someone from Aramburu or a nearby place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,993 Americans carry the last name Arambula. That puts it at #6,267 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,192 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arambula surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
6.0K
1 in 57,192
Census rank
#6,267
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,226 bearers of the surname Arambula in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6267th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arambula, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Two or More Races (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arambula
The surname Arambula has its origins in Spain, specifically in the Basque Country region. It is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Basque word "aran," meaning valley, and "bula," which could refer to a gap or pass between mountains.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arambula can be found in a document from the town of Tudela, near Navarre, dated 1387. This document mentions a certain Juan de Arambula, who was likely a landowner or prominent figure in the area. The name's spelling has evolved over time, with variations such as Aramburu, Arambide, and Arambillet appearing in historical records.
In the 15th century, the Arambula family gained prominence in the region of Álava, located in the heart of the Basque Country. Several members of the family held important positions in the local government and were influential landowners. One notable figure from this period was Lope de Arambula, who served as a magistrate in the town of Vitoria-Gasteiz in the late 1400s.
During the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 16th and 17th centuries, several individuals with the surname Arambula made their way to the New World. One of the earliest recorded instances is Juan de Arambula, who was a soldier and explorer born in Seville in 1542. He participated in expeditions to present-day Mexico and Central America.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Pedro de Arambula y Guzmán, a Spanish military officer and governor of the province of Nueva Vizcaya (present-day northern Mexico) in the late 17th century. He was born in Seville in 1638 and played a crucial role in the defense of the region against indigenous uprisings and French incursions.
In the 19th century, Fermín Arambula y Arregui, born in Vitoria-Gasteiz in 1818, was a notable lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Spanish Congress of Deputies. He was actively involved in the political and social movements of his time, advocating for liberal reforms and regional autonomy.
While the surname Arambula is primarily associated with Spain and the Basque region, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its roots and historical significance remain deeply connected to the valleys and mountains of the Basque Country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arambula
Among Census respondents with the surname Arambula, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Two or More Races (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Arambula bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Arambula surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.1% · 4,864
- White6.2% · 325
- Two or more races0.4% · 23
- Black or African American0.1% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arambula
Arambula appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,668
+1,301 bearers (+29.8%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Up 1,009 places
2020
#6,267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,226
-442 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Down 213 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,063 | 4,367 | 1.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,054 | 5,668 | 1.92 | +1,301 bearers (+29.8%) | Up 1,009 places |
| 2020 | #6,267 | 5,226 | 1.75 | -442 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 213 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Arambula surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,054 | #6,267 | -3.5% |
| Count | 5,668 | 5,226 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.92 | 1.75 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arambula bearers went from 5,668 to 5,226 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 213 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,054 to #6,267.
FAQ
Arambula surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arambula?
Name Census estimates that about 5,993 living Americans carry the surname Arambula. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,192 residents.
How common is Arambula?
Arambula ranks #6,267 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,226 people with the surname Arambula. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,993), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Arambula.
Has Arambula become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arambula went from 5,668 recorded bearers to 5,226. That is a decrease of 442 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,054 to #6,267.
What does the Census say about the background of Arambula?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arambula, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.2%) and Two or More Races (0.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Arambula in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (4,864 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arambula appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.1%), White (6.2%), Two or More Races (0.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Arambula (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Arambula mean?
A Basque habitational surname referring to someone from Aramburu or a nearby place. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Arambula (1.75 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Arambula?
See how common the surname Arambula is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.