2000
#59,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 316
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Aravjo
A Hispanicized variant of the Portuguese surname Araújo, possibly derived from the place name Araújo.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Aravjo. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aravjo 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Aravjo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aravjo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.7%. The next largest groups are White (10.6%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aravjo
The surname ARAVJO is of Portuguese origin, traceable back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the old Portuguese word "aravjo," which referred to a type of shrub or small tree found in the Iberian Peninsula. This connection suggests that the name may have initially identified someone who lived near or worked with these plants.
One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Afonso Aravjo, a landowner from the region of Entre-Douro-e-Minho in northern Portugal, whose name appears in records dating back to 1287. In the 14th century, the variant spelling "Araújo" emerged, which is still commonly used today.
The Aravjo name can be found in several medieval documents, including the Livro Velho de Linhagens (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical record from the 13th century. This suggests that the family had established some prominence and influence in their region by that time.
In the 15th century, João Aravjo (1420-1487) was a notable Portuguese explorer and navigator who participated in several voyages along the West African coast. He is credited with discovering the Cape Verde Islands in 1456.
Another prominent figure was Pedro de Aravjo (1572-1638), a Portuguese Jesuit missionary who spent over 30 years in Brazil, working to convert indigenous peoples to Christianity. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of the Jesuit mission in South America.
During the 17th century, Manuel de Aravjo (1611-1679) was a respected lawyer and judge in the Portuguese city of Coimbra. He served as a member of the High Court of Coimbra and was known for his expertise in civil law.
In the 19th century, Francisco de Aravjo (1785-1859) was a Portuguese diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister of Portugal in the early 1800s.
Despite its Portuguese roots, the Aravjo surname has spread to other parts of the world, including Brazil, where it is commonly found among descendants of Portuguese immigrants. Notably, José de Aravjo (1790-1858) was a Brazilian politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Brazil in the 1840s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aravjo
Among Census respondents with the surname Aravjo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.7%. The next largest groups are White (10.6%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Aravjo 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 Aravjo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino83.7% · 87
- White10.6% · 11
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aravjo
Aravjo 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
#80,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 236
-80 bearers (-25.3%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 20,650 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-132 bearers (-55.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 73,171 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #59,769 | 316 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #80,419 | 236 | 0.08 | -80 bearers (-25.3%) | Down 20,650 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -132 bearers (-55.9%) | Down 73,171 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 Aravjo 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 | #80,419 | #153,590 | -91.0% |
| Count | 236 | 104 | -55.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.03 | -56.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aravjo bearers went from 236 to 104 (-55.9% change). The surname moved down 73,171 positions in the national ranking, going from #80,419 to #153,590.
FAQ
Aravjo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aravjo?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Aravjo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Aravjo?
Aravjo ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Aravjo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Aravjo.
Has Aravjo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aravjo went from 236 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 132 (-55.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #80,419 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Aravjo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aravjo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.7%. The next largest groups are White (10.6%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Aravjo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.7% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aravjo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (83.7%), White (10.6%), Black (1.9%). 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 Aravjo (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 Aravjo mean?
A Hispanicized variant of the Portuguese surname Araújo, possibly derived from the place name Araújo. 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 Aravjo (0.03 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 have the last name Aravjo?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Aravjo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.