2000
#905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,999
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.97
Uncommon Last name
Arellano
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "a grove of trees" or "a clearing in the woods."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 54,620 Americans carry the last name Arellano. That puts it at #700 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,275 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arellano 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
55K
1 in 6,275
Census rank
#700
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
48K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 47,631 bearers of the surname Arellano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 700th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arellano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.8%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Arellano can be found in the Becerro de Benedictinos, a historical document from the 13th century that lists various noble families and their coats of arms.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arellano
Among Census respondents with the surname Arellano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.8%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Arellano 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 Arellano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.8% · 43,268
- White5.1% · 2,435
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 1,419
- Two or more races0.6% · 268
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 146
- Black or African American0.2% · 95
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arellano
Arellano 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
#687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,104
+15,105 bearers (+43.2%)
Per 100,000 16.99
Rank movement Up 218 places
2020
#700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,631
-2,473 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 15.94
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #905 | 34,999 | 12.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #687 | 50,104 | 16.99 | +15,105 bearers (+43.2%) | Up 218 places |
| 2020 | #700 | 47,631 | 15.94 | -2,473 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 13 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 Arellano 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 | #687 | #700 | -1.9% |
| Count | 50,104 | 47,631 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 16.99 | 15.94 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arellano bearers went from 50,104 to 47,631 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #687 to #700.
FAQ
Arellano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arellano?
Name Census estimates that about 54,620 living Americans carry the surname Arellano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,275 residents.
How common is Arellano?
Arellano ranks #700 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 47,631 people with the surname Arellano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (54,620), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Arellano.
Has Arellano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arellano went from 50,104 recorded bearers to 47,631. That is a decrease of 2,473 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #687 to #700.
What does the Census say about the background of Arellano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arellano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.8%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%). 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 Arellano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (43,268 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arellano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.8%), White (5.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%). 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 Arellano (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 Arellano mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "a grove of trees" or "a clearing in the woods." 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 Arellano (15.94 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 Arellano?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.