Arellano last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Arellano

A Spanish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "a grove of trees" or "a clearing in the woods."

Arellano, 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 Arellano surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arellano in America

Arellano is the 687th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arellano surname appeared 50,104 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 17 people would have the surname Arellano.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arellano 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank687905-27.39%
Count50,10434,99935.50%
Proportion per 100k16.9912.9726.84%

The history of the last name Arellano

The surname Arellano originated in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "Arellano," which refers to a small town in the province of Navarra, located in northern Spain. The town's name is thought to come from the Latin word "arena," meaning "sand," suggesting that the area may have been sandy or located near a sandy region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Arellano can be found in the Becerro de Benedictinos, a historical document from the 13th century that lists various noble families and their coats of arms. The Arellano family was mentioned in this document, indicating their prominence and influence during that time.

In the 15th century, Diego Arellano (1462-1537) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. He was one of the first Spaniards to settle in the region and played a significant role in the early colonization of New Spain.

Another notable individual with the surname Arellano was Juan Arellano (1614-1676), a Spanish painter known for his religious works and portraits. He was active in Madrid during the Golden Age of Spanish art and is considered one of the most important painters of the Baroque period in Spain.

In the 19th century, Ignacio Arellano (1809-1887) was a Mexican politician and military leader who played a crucial role in the Reform War and the French Intervention in Mexico. He served as governor of the state of Jalisco and was a prominent figure in the liberal movement of that era.

Manuel Arellano (1923-2004) was a renowned Mexican painter and sculptor known for his abstract and surrealist works. He was part of the Generación de la Ruptura, a group of artists who challenged the traditional artistic styles of the time and helped shape the modern art movement in Mexico.

The Arellano surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Arellano de Tera, a municipality in the province of Soria, Spain, and Arellano de Valnalón, a parish in the Asturias region of Spain. These places likely contributed to the spread and variations of the surname throughout different regions of Spain and its colonies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arellano

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

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 Arellano was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only4.49%2,250
Non-Hispanic Black Only0.10%50
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only2.61%1,308
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native0.28%140
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races0.39%195
Hispanic Origin92.12%46,156

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 Arellano has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White4.49%5.02%-11.15%
Black0.10%0.15%-40.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander2.61%2.78%-6.31%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.28%0.30%-6.90%
Two or More Races0.39%0.52%-28.57%
Hispanic92.12%91.23%0.97%

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

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

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

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