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

Arellanes, 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 Arellanes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arellanes in America

Arellanes is the 13991st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arellanes surname appeared 2,154 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Arellanes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arellanes 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 Arellanes

The surname Arellanes has its origins in Spain, specifically in the regions of Castile and Aragon. It is believed to have emerged sometime during the Middle Ages, around the 11th to 15th centuries. The name is derived from the Spanish word "arellano," which refers to a sandy or gravelly area, possibly indicating that the earliest bearers of this name lived in or near such terrain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Arellanes surname can be found in the Becerro de Behetrias, a medieval census-like document from the 14th century that recorded the names of landowners and their properties. This suggests that the Arellanes family had already established itself as a prominent lineage by that time.

During the Reconquista, the centuries-long struggle to expel the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula, several individuals bearing the Arellanes surname are mentioned in various chronicles and historical accounts. For example, Pedro Arellanes de Aragon was a renowned knight who fought alongside King Alfonso VIII of Castile in the decisive Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212.

As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Atlantic, the Arellanes surname made its way to the New World. One notable figure was Juan de Arellanes, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 16th century. Arellanes played a crucial role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and later served as a governor in various regions of New Spain.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Gaspar de Arellanes y Guzmán, a Spanish nobleman and military commander who lived during the 17th century. He fought in several campaigns against the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean and was recognized for his valor and strategic acumen.

In the realm of literature, the Spanish writer and dramatist Lope de Vega, considered one of the greatest playwrights of the Golden Age, featured characters with the Arellanes surname in some of his works, such as the play "El Caballero de Olmedo," which dates back to the early 17th century.

While the Arellanes surname is more commonly found in Spain and Latin American countries, it has also been carried to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. Over the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, including Arellano, Arellanez, and Arellanes, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arellanes

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

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

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

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