2000
#2,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,683
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.44
Uncommon Last name
Aranda
A Spanish habitational surname indicating one who originated from any of several places named Aranda.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,488 Americans carry the last name Aranda. That puts it at #1,879 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,951 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aranda 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
21K
1 in 15,951
Census rank
#1,879
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,739 bearers of the surname Aranda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1879th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aranda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aranda
The surname Aranda originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Basque word 'aranda', meaning valley or glen, indicating that the bearers of this name likely hailed from a valley region within the Basque Country or surrounding areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Aranda name can be found in the 13th-century Catalan Grand Chronicles, which mention a certain Pedro de Aranda, a nobleman from the Kingdom of Aragon. This suggests that the name was already established in parts of northeastern Spain by that time.
During the 15th century, the Aranda surname appeared in various historical documents related to the Spanish Reconquista, the centuries-long campaign to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish rule. Pedro Ruiz de Aranda, a soldier and military commander, played a role in the conquest of Granada in 1492, the final victory that marked the end of the Reconquista.
In the 16th century, Juan de Aranda, a renowned architect and sculptor from Cuenca, Spain, designed several notable churches and cathedrals, including the Cathedral of Plasencia and parts of the Cathedral of Seville. His works exemplified the Renaissance and Plateresque styles of architecture and art.
During the 17th century, the Aranda name gained prominence in the Spanish viceroyalties of the Americas. Juan de Aranda y Guzmán was appointed Viceroy of New Spain (present-day Mexico) from 1664 to 1673, overseeing the colonial administration of a vast territory.
In the 18th century, Pedro Pablo Abarca de Bolea, Count of Aranda, was a prominent Spanish statesman and military leader. He served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1792 to 1794 and played a significant role in the expulsion of the Jesuit order from Spanish territories in 1767.
Throughout history, the Aranda surname has been associated with various notable individuals across different fields, including politics, military, art, and architecture, reflecting its deep roots in Spanish history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aranda
Among Census respondents with the surname Aranda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Aranda 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 Aranda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.3% · 16,921
- White5.7% · 1,070
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 465
- Black or African American0.6% · 120
- Two or more races0.6% · 113
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aranda
Aranda 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
#1,861
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,298
+4,615 bearers (+31.4%)
Per 100,000 6.54
Rank movement Up 407 places
2020
#1,879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,739
-559 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 6.27
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,268 | 14,683 | 5.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,861 | 19,298 | 6.54 | +4,615 bearers (+31.4%) | Up 407 places |
| 2020 | #1,879 | 18,739 | 6.27 | -559 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 18 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 Aranda 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 | #1,861 | #1,879 | -1.0% |
| Count | 19,298 | 18,739 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 6.54 | 6.27 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aranda bearers went from 19,298 to 18,739 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,861 to #1,879.
FAQ
Aranda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aranda?
Name Census estimates that about 21,488 living Americans carry the surname Aranda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,951 residents.
How common is Aranda?
Aranda ranks #1,879 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,739 people with the surname Aranda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,488), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Aranda.
Has Aranda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aranda went from 19,298 recorded bearers to 18,739. That is a decrease of 559 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,861 to #1,879.
What does the Census say about the background of Aranda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aranda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.3%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Aranda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (16,921 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aranda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.3%), White (5.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Aranda (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 Aranda mean?
A Spanish habitational surname indicating one who originated from any of several places named Aranda. 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 Aranda (6.27 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 common is the surname Aranda?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Aranda is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.