2000
#16,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,618
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Arboleda
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a grove or wooded area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,779 Americans carry the last name Arboleda. That puts it at #12,263 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,337 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arboleda 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
2.8K
1 in 123,337
Census rank
#12,263
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,423 bearers of the surname Arboleda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12263rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arboleda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.9%) and White (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arboleda
The surname Arboleda is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "arboleda," which means a grove or a cluster of trees. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Spain where forests and woodlands were abundant, such as Galicia, Asturias, and the Basque Country.
The earliest records of this surname can be traced back to the 13th century in Spain. It is likely that the name was initially given as a descriptive surname to individuals who lived near or worked in groves or wooded areas. Some early variants of the spelling include "Arboleda," "Arboladas," and "Arboledas."
One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Rodrigo de Arboleda, a nobleman from Seville, Spain, who lived in the late 13th century. Another notable individual was Juan de Arboleda, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493.
During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the surname Arboleda spread to various regions, particularly in Central and South America. In Colombia, the Arboleda family played a significant role in the country's political and cultural history. Julio Arboleda Pombo (1817-1862) was a Colombian poet, essayist, and politician who served as the President of the Sovereign State of Antioquia.
Another prominent figure was Sergio Arboleda (1822-1888), a Colombian writer, politician, and diplomat. He served as the President of Colombia from 1868 to 1870. His nephew, Julio Arboleda Valdés (1837-1923), was also a Colombian politician and diplomat who served as the President of Colombia from 1904 to 1905.
In Mexico, one of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Juan de Arboleda, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico in the 16th century. Centuries later, José Arboleda (1857-1932) was a Mexican lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
While the surname Arboleda is most common in Spanish-speaking countries, it has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and intermarriage. However, its origins can be traced back to the wooded regions of Spain, where it was initially adopted as a descriptive surname related to the natural surroundings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arboleda
Among Census respondents with the surname Arboleda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.9%) and White (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Arboleda 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 Arboleda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino78.3% · 1,896
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.9% · 360
- White5.4% · 132
- Two or more races0.7% · 18
- Black or African American0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arboleda
Arboleda 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
#13,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,157
+539 bearers (+33.3%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 2,407 places
2020
#12,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,423
+266 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 1,713 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,383 | 1,618 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,976 | 2,157 | 0.73 | +539 bearers (+33.3%) | Up 2,407 places |
| 2020 | #12,263 | 2,423 | 0.81 | +266 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 1,713 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 Arboleda 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 | #13,976 | #12,263 | 12.3% |
| Count | 2,157 | 2,423 | 12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.81 | 11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arboleda bearers went from 2,157 to 2,423 (+12.3% change). The surname moved up 1,713 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,976 to #12,263.
FAQ
Arboleda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arboleda?
Name Census estimates that about 2,779 living Americans carry the surname Arboleda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,337 residents.
How common is Arboleda?
Arboleda ranks #12,263 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,423 people with the surname Arboleda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,779), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Arboleda.
Has Arboleda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arboleda went from 2,157 recorded bearers to 2,423. That is an increase of 266 (+12.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,976 to #12,263.
What does the Census say about the background of Arboleda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arboleda, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.9%) and White (5.4%). 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 Arboleda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.3% (1,896 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arboleda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (78.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (14.9%), White (5.4%). 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 Arboleda (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 Arboleda mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a grove or wooded area. 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 Arboleda (0.81 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 share the surname Arboleda?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.