2000
#11,423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,531
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Arechiga
Derived from a Basque place name meaning "place of maple trees" or "by the stone oak trees."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,589 Americans carry the last name Arechiga. That puts it at #9,859 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arechiga 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
3.6K
1 in 95,501
Census rank
#9,859
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,130 bearers of the surname Arechiga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9859th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arechiga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Two or More Races (0.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arechiga
The surname Arechiga has its origins in the Spanish language and is believed to have originated in Mexico. It is derived from the word "arecha," which means "small farm" or "cultivated plot of land." This suggests that the name may have been borne by individuals who were farmers or landowners in the early days of Spanish colonization in Mexico.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Arechiga can be found in the baptismal records of the parish church of San Sebastián in Mexico City, where a child named Juan Arechiga was baptized in 1603. This provides evidence that the name was already in use in the early 17th century.
During the colonial era in Mexico, the Arechiga family was known to have settled in the state of Guanajuato, particularly in the town of San Miguel de Allende. Records show that a man named Tomás Arechiga, born in 1678, was a prominent landowner and cattle rancher in the region.
In the 19th century, a notable figure bearing the Arechiga surname was José Arechiga (1804-1879), a Mexican lawyer and politician who served as a senator and governor of the state of Zacatecas. He played a significant role in the Reform War, supporting the liberal policies of Benito Juárez.
Another individual of historical importance was Arturo Arechiga (1880-1956), a Mexican diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the presidency of Lázaro Cárdenas. He was instrumental in the nationalization of the oil industry in Mexico in 1938.
In the artistic realm, the name Arechiga is associated with Enrique Arechiga (1918-1996), a Mexican painter and sculptor known for his abstract and surrealist works. His art was exhibited in numerous galleries and museums across Mexico and internationally.
The surname Arechiga has also been carried by notable academics, such as Germán Arechiga (1927-2012), a renowned Mexican physicist and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of general relativity and black holes.
While the surname Arechiga is primarily concentrated in Mexico, it has also spread to other parts of the Americas due to migration patterns. However, its origins can be traced back to the early days of Spanish colonization in Mexico, where it was likely borne by individuals involved in agriculture and land ownership.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arechiga
Among Census respondents with the surname Arechiga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Two or More Races (0.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Arechiga 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 Arechiga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.4% · 2,956
- White4.9% · 154
- Two or more races0.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.1% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arechiga
Arechiga 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
#9,794
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,306
+775 bearers (+30.6%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Up 1,629 places
2020
#9,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,130
-176 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,423 | 2,531 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,794 | 3,306 | 1.12 | +775 bearers (+30.6%) | Up 1,629 places |
| 2020 | #9,859 | 3,130 | 1.05 | -176 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 65 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 Arechiga 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 | #9,794 | #9,859 | -0.7% |
| Count | 3,306 | 3,130 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 1.05 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arechiga bearers went from 3,306 to 3,130 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,794 to #9,859.
FAQ
Arechiga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arechiga?
Name Census estimates that about 3,589 living Americans carry the surname Arechiga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,501 residents.
How common is Arechiga?
Arechiga ranks #9,859 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 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 3,130 people with the surname Arechiga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,589), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 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 Arechiga.
Has Arechiga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arechiga went from 3,306 recorded bearers to 3,130. That is a decrease of 176 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,794 to #9,859.
What does the Census say about the background of Arechiga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arechiga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Two or More Races (0.2%). 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 Arechiga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (2,956 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arechiga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.4%), White (4.9%), Two or More Races (0.2%). 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 Arechiga (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 Arechiga mean?
Derived from a Basque place name meaning "place of maple trees" or "by the stone oak trees." 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 Arechiga (1.05 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 Arechiga?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.