2000
#2,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,978
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.44
Uncommon Last name
Archuleta
A Basque surname derived from the place name Aretxuloeta, meaning "place of the oak grove."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,483 Americans carry the last name Archuleta. That puts it at #2,779 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,666 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Archuleta 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
14K
1 in 23,666
Census rank
#2,779
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,630 bearers of the surname Archuleta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2779th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Archuleta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.0%. The next largest groups are White (16.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Archuleta
The surname Archuleta is of Spanish origin, derived from the Aragonese region of Spain. It is believed to have originated in the 16th or 17th century. The name is thought to be a combination of the Spanish words "arco" meaning arch or archway, and "uleta" which is a diminutive suffix, potentially referring to a person who lived near an archway or small arch.
Archuleta is also similar to the Spanish word "archuleta" which means a small archway or gateway. Some early records suggest the name may have been associated with a person who lived near or maintained a small archway or gate in a town or village.
One of the earliest known references to the name Archuleta can be found in the 17th-century records of the Spanish Inquisition, where an individual named Juan Archuleta was mentioned. Additionally, there are records from the late 18th century in the Aragonese region of Spain that include individuals with the surname Archuleta.
In the 19th century, the name Archuleta began to appear in records in the Americas, particularly in areas that were formerly part of the Spanish colonies. One notable individual was Mariano Archuleta, a prominent political figure in the New Mexico Territory in the mid-1800s.
Another influential person with this surname was Facundo Archuleta, a Mexican-American businessman and landowner who lived in California in the late 19th century. He played a significant role in the development of the San Joaquin Valley region.
In the 20th century, the name Archuleta gained more recognition with individuals like David Archuleta, an American singer and songwriter who rose to fame after appearing on the television show American Idol in 2008.
Other notable individuals with the surname Archuleta include Benjamin Archuleta, a Mexican-American artist known for his paintings depicting the American Southwest, and Antonio Archuleta, a former professional baseball player who played for several Major League Baseball teams in the 1980s and 1990s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Archuleta
Among Census respondents with the surname Archuleta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.0%. The next largest groups are White (16.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Archuleta 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 Archuleta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino79.0% · 9,981
- White16.5% · 2,089
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 313
- Two or more races1.2% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 59
- Black or African American0.3% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Archuleta
Archuleta 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
#2,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,248
+1,270 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 4.49
Rank movement Up 46 places
2020
#2,779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,630
-618 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 4.23
Rank movement Down 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,763 | 11,978 | 4.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,717 | 13,248 | 4.49 | +1,270 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 46 places |
| 2020 | #2,779 | 12,630 | 4.23 | -618 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 62 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 Archuleta 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 | #2,717 | #2,779 | -2.3% |
| Count | 13,248 | 12,630 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.49 | 4.23 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Archuleta bearers went from 13,248 to 12,630 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,717 to #2,779.
FAQ
Archuleta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Archuleta?
Name Census estimates that about 14,483 living Americans carry the surname Archuleta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,666 residents.
How common is Archuleta?
Archuleta ranks #2,779 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,630 people with the surname Archuleta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,483), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Archuleta.
Has Archuleta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Archuleta went from 13,248 recorded bearers to 12,630. That is a decrease of 618 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,717 to #2,779.
What does the Census say about the background of Archuleta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Archuleta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.0%. The next largest groups are White (16.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%). 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 Archuleta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.0% (9,981 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Archuleta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (79.0%), White (16.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%). 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 Archuleta (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 Archuleta mean?
A Basque surname derived from the place name Aretxuloeta, meaning "place of the oak grove." 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 Archuleta (4.23 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 Archuleta?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Archuleta is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.