2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Arellanez
A Spanish surname derived from the location Arellanez in Rioja, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Arellanez. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arellanez 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Arellanez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arellanez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arellanez
The surname Arellanez originates from Spain, tracing its roots back to the early medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "arenal," which means "sandy place" or "sand dune." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or came from a sandy area or a place known for its sand dunes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Cartulario de Valpuesta," a medieval cartulary or collection of charters from the Monastery of Valpuesta in the Castilian region of Spain, dated around the 11th century. This document mentions individuals with the surname Arellanez, indicating its presence in the region during that time.
In the 13th century, a nobleman named Rodrigo Arellanez was recorded as a member of the court of King Alfonso X of Castile, also known as Alfonso the Wise. This provides evidence of the name's association with the nobility and its prominence in medieval Spanish society.
During the 16th century, the surname Arellanez spread to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. One notable figure was Diego Arellanez de Sotomayor, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 1500s.
Another notable individual was Pedro Arellanez, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Juan Ponce de León on his expeditions to Florida in the early 1500s. He played a significant role in the exploration and settlement of the region.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure bearing the surname Arellanez was Antonio Arellanez de Saavedra, a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of the Philippines from 1670 to 1678.
The name Arellanez has also been associated with various place names and variations in spelling throughout history. For example, the village of Arellanez in the province of Alava, Spain, is believed to have derived its name from the surname. Additionally, variations such as Arellano, Arellanes, and Arellan have been recorded in historical documents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arellanez
Among Census respondents with the surname Arellanez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Arellanez 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 Arellanez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.8% · 103
- White4.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arellanez
Arellanez appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-6 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,557 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 6,557 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 Arellanez 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 | #142,108 | #148,665 | -4.6% |
| Count | 117 | 111 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arellanez bearers went from 117 to 111 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 6,557 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #148,665.
FAQ
Arellanez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arellanez?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Arellanez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Arellanez?
Arellanez ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Arellanez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Arellanez.
Has Arellanez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arellanez went from 117 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Arellanez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arellanez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Arellanez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arellanez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.8%), White (4.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Arellanez (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 Arellanez mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the location Arellanez in Rioja, Spain. 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 Arellanez (0.04 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 surname Arellanez?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.