2000
#11,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,632
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Arciniega
A Basque surname derived from the place name Artziniega, meaning "the oak grove of the bear."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,946 Americans carry the last name Arciniega. That puts it at #9,123 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,861 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arciniega 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
3.9K
1 in 86,861
Census rank
#9,123
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,441 bearers of the surname Arciniega in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9123rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arciniega, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arciniega
The surname Arciniega has its origins in Spain, specifically in the Basque region. The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
Arciniega is derived from a Basque place name, likely referring to a specific locality or region within the Basque Country. The etymology of the name can be traced back to the Basque words "aritz" (oak) and "ibar" (valley), suggesting that the original bearer of the name may have lived in an oak-filled valley or near an area known for its oak trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arciniega can be found in the "Becerro Galicano de las Behetrías de Castilla," a census-like document compiled in the 14th century during the reign of King Pedro I of Castile. This document listed individuals and households, including those with the surname Arciniega, providing valuable insight into the name's historical presence in the region.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Arciniega surname was Diego de Arciniega, a Spanish military officer and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands and later served as the governor of the island of Tenerife from 1531 to 1535.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Juan de Arciniega, a Basque architect and stonemason who lived in the 16th century. He is renowned for his contribution to the construction of the iconic Cathedral of Havana in Cuba, which was built between 1572 and 1777.
During the 17th century, a woman named María de Arciniega gained recognition as a painter and artist in Spain. Her works, primarily religious in nature, can be found in various churches and museums throughout the country.
In the realm of literature, Francisco de Arciniega, a Spanish writer and poet born in 1682, left a notable legacy with his works that explored themes of love, nature, and the human experience.
Moving into the 19th century, Ignacio de Arciniega, born in 1823, was a prominent Spanish politician and diplomat who served as the Spanish ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1868 to 1871, playing a crucial role in maintaining diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arciniega
Among Census respondents with the surname Arciniega, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Arciniega 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 Arciniega surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.2% · 3,240
- White4.8% · 164
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 15
- Two or more races0.2% · 8
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arciniega
Arciniega 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
#9,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,478
+846 bearers (+32.1%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Up 1,728 places
2020
#9,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,441
-37 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Up 229 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,080 | 2,632 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,352 | 3,478 | 1.18 | +846 bearers (+32.1%) | Up 1,728 places |
| 2020 | #9,123 | 3,441 | 1.15 | -37 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 229 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 Arciniega 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 | #9,352 | #9,123 | 2.4% |
| Count | 3,478 | 3,441 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.18 | 1.15 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arciniega bearers went from 3,478 to 3,441 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 229 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,352 to #9,123.
FAQ
Arciniega surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arciniega?
Name Census estimates that about 3,946 living Americans carry the surname Arciniega. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,861 residents.
How common is Arciniega?
Arciniega ranks #9,123 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 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 3,441 people with the surname Arciniega. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,946), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 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 Arciniega.
Has Arciniega become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arciniega went from 3,478 recorded bearers to 3,441. That is a decrease of 37 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,352 to #9,123.
What does the Census say about the background of Arciniega?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arciniega, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%). 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 Arciniega in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (3,240 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arciniega appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.2%), White (4.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.4%). 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 Arciniega (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 Arciniega mean?
A Basque surname derived from the place name Artziniega, meaning "the oak grove of the bear." 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 Arciniega (1.15 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 Arciniega?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Arciniega, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.