2000
#18,461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,381
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Arellanes
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from a place name, possibly referring to an area with a maple grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,282 Americans carry the last name Arellanes. That puts it at #14,439 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 150,199 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arellanes 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
2.3K
1 in 150,199
Census rank
#14,439
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,990 bearers of the surname Arellanes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14439th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arellanes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arellanes
Among Census respondents with the surname Arellanes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Arellanes 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 Arellanes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.0% · 1,810
- White7.7% · 154
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
- Two or more races0.5% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arellanes
Arellanes 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
#13,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,154
+773 bearers (+56.0%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 4,470 places
2020
#14,439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,990
-164 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 448 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,461 | 1,381 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,991 | 2,154 | 0.73 | +773 bearers (+56.0%) | Up 4,470 places |
| 2020 | #14,439 | 1,990 | 0.67 | -164 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 448 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 Arellanes 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 | #13,991 | #14,439 | -3.2% |
| Count | 2,154 | 1,990 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.67 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arellanes bearers went from 2,154 to 1,990 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 448 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,991 to #14,439.
FAQ
Arellanes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arellanes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,282 living Americans carry the surname Arellanes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 150,199 residents.
How common is Arellanes?
Arellanes ranks #14,439 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 1,990 people with the surname Arellanes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,282), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Arellanes.
Has Arellanes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arellanes went from 2,154 recorded bearers to 1,990. That is a decrease of 164 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,991 to #14,439.
What does the Census say about the background of Arellanes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arellanes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%). 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 Arellanes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (1,810 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arellanes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.0%), White (7.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%). 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 Arellanes (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 Arellanes mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from a place name, possibly referring to an area with a maple 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 Arellanes (0.67 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 Arellanes?
You can see how common the surname Arellanes is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.