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

Arango, 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 Arango surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arango in America

Arango is the 5020th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arango surname appeared 6,998 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Arango.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arango 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 Arango

The surname Arango originated in Spain, specifically in the Basque region located in the northern part of the country. Its roots can be traced back to the 9th century, when it was likely derived from the Basque word "aran," meaning valley or ravine.

One of the earliest known references to the name Arango can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a collection of medieval documents from the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. This cartulary mentions individuals with the surname Arango as early as the 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the Arango family was prominent in the Basque region, with several members holding positions of power and influence. One notable figure was Juan de Arango, a 15th-century military leader who fought in the conquest of Granada.

As the surname spread throughout Spain, variations in spelling emerged, including Arango, Arrangoiz, and Aranguren. These variations often reflected the specific regions or villages where different branches of the family resided.

In the 16th century, the Arango name began to appear in various Spanish colonial records, as some members of the family ventured to the New World. One such individual was Pedro de Arango, who arrived in present-day Colombia in the mid-1500s and played a role in the establishment of Spanish settlements in the region.

Another notable figure was Gaspar de Arango y Molina, a 17th-century Spanish nobleman and governor of Panama. He was born in Seville in 1598 and served as the governor of Panama from 1636 to 1643.

In the 18th century, the Arango name gained prominence in Cuba, where members of the family became involved in the island's thriving sugar industry. One of the most influential figures was Francisco de Arango y Parreño, a Cuban-born plantation owner and writer who played a significant role in the economic and political development of the island. He was born in 1765 and died in 1837.

Other notable individuals with the surname Arango include Miguel de Arango, a 19th-century Colombian military leader and politician who served as the president of the Republic of New Granada from 1842 to 1849, and Rafael Arango Villegas, a 20th-century Colombian writer and journalist who was born in 1904 and died in 1986.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arango

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

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 Arango 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 Arango 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 Arango was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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