2000
#6,086
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,202
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.93
Rare Last name
Arango
A Basque surname referring to a person who lived near a cliff or crag.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,748 Americans carry the last name Arango. That puts it at #5,030 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,238 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arango 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
7.7K
1 in 44,238
Census rank
#5,030
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,757 bearers of the surname Arango in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5030th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arango, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arango
Among Census respondents with the surname Arango, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Arango 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 Arango surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.9% · 6,210
- White6.6% · 444
- Black or African American0.9% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 25
- Two or more races0.2% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arango
Arango 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
#5,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,998
+1,796 bearers (+34.5%)
Per 100,000 2.37
Rank movement Up 1,066 places
2020
#5,030
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,757
-241 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,086 | 5,202 | 1.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,020 | 6,998 | 2.37 | +1,796 bearers (+34.5%) | Up 1,066 places |
| 2020 | #5,030 | 6,757 | 2.26 | -241 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 10 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 Arango 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 | #5,020 | #5,030 | -0.2% |
| Count | 6,998 | 6,757 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.37 | 2.26 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arango bearers went from 6,998 to 6,757 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,020 to #5,030.
FAQ
Arango surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arango?
Name Census estimates that about 7,748 living Americans carry the surname Arango. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,238 residents.
How common is Arango?
Arango ranks #5,030 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.26 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 6,757 people with the surname Arango. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,748), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.26 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 Arango.
Has Arango become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arango went from 6,998 recorded bearers to 6,757. That is a decrease of 241 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,020 to #5,030.
What does the Census say about the background of Arango?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arango, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Arango in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (6,210 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arango appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.9%), White (6.6%), Black (0.9%). 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 Arango (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 Arango mean?
A Basque surname referring to a person who lived near a cliff or crag. 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 Arango (2.26 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 Americans have the surname Arango?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.