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

Arens, 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 Arens surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arens in America

Arens is the 10487th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arens surname appeared 3,060 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 Arens.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arens 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 Arens

The surname Arens has its origins in the Low German language and is found predominantly in the areas of northern Germany and the Netherlands. The name is derived from the Low German word "arn" or "are," meaning eagle, suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who displayed characteristics associated with the eagle, such as strength, nobility, or keen vision.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Arens date back to the 13th century in the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia in northern Germany. The name appears in various historical records and manuscripts from this period, including parish registers and tax records.

One notable early bearer of the name was Hinrich Arens, a prominent merchant and citizen of the Hanseatic city of Lübeck in the 14th century. He is mentioned in several trade documents and city records from the late 1300s.

In the Netherlands, the name Arens can be traced back to the 16th century, with records showing families with this surname residing in the provinces of North Holland and Friesland. The Dutch variation of the name, "Arends," is also found in historical records from this period.

Another notable figure bearing the surname Arens was Johann Arens, a German scholar and author from the 17th century. Born in 1598 in Westphalia, he was a professor of theology and published several works on religious topics.

During the 19th century, the surname Arens gained prominence in the field of art, with August Arens (1825-1892), a German painter and engraver known for his landscapes and genre scenes, and Hans Arens (1859-1942), a Dutch painter and illustrator celebrated for his depictions of rural life.

The name Arens has also been associated with notable figures in the field of science and academia. One such individual was Franz Arens (1856-1919), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.

Throughout its history, the surname Arens has maintained a strong presence in Germany and the Netherlands, with variations such as Arends and Ahrens also being found in these regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arens

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

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

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

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