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

Arbeláez, 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 Arbeláez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arbeláez in America

Arbeláez is the 23135th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arbeláez surname appeared 1,103 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Arbeláez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arbeláez 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 Arbeláez

The surname Arbelaez is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. The name is derived from the Basque words "arbi" meaning "tree" and "latz" meaning "difficult" or "harsh," suggesting a connection to a place with a rugged, forested terrain.

Arbelaez is believed to have originated in the 11th or 12th century, during the height of the Christian Reconquista in the Iberian Peninsula. As Christian kingdoms gradually reclaimed territories from the Moors, many Basque families migrated southward, carrying their surnames with them.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Arbelaez name appears in a 13th-century document from the Kingdom of Aragon, where a landowner named Pedro de Arbelaez is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by that time.

In the 15th century, a nobleman named Juan de Arbelaez served as a military commander under King Ferdinand II of Aragon during the final stages of the Reconquista. His bravery and loyalty were rewarded with land grants in the newly conquered territories of southern Spain.

The name Arbelaez also has connections to several place names in the Basque region, including the villages of Arbeláiz and Arbeláitz. These place names likely derived from the same linguistic roots as the surname, reflecting the rugged, forested landscapes of the area.

In the 16th century, during the Spanish colonization of the Americas, several individuals bearing the Arbelaez surname made their way to the New World. One notable figure was Diego de Arbelaez, a conquistador who participated in the conquest of present-day Colombia and Venezuela in the 1530s.

Another prominent figure was Fray Juan de Arbelaez, a Franciscan missionary who arrived in New Spain (present-day Mexico) in the late 16th century. He is credited with establishing several missions and promoting the conversion of indigenous populations to Christianity.

In the 19th century, a Chilean writer and politician named Manuel Arbelaez Larraín (1807-1873) made significant contributions to the literary and political landscapes of his country. He served as a diplomat and authored several influential works on Chilean history and culture.

Lastly, a notable bearer of the Arbelaez surname in the 20th century was the Colombian writer and philosopher Fernando Arbeláez (1924-2003). He was a prolific author and a prominent figure in the literary and intellectual circles of his time, known for his works exploring Colombian identity and cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arbeláez

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

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

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

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