2000
#9,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,067
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Arens
A Dutch and German surname derived from the given name Arend, meaning "eagle."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,726 Americans carry the last name Arens. That puts it at #9,570 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,990 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arens 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
3.7K
1 in 91,990
Census rank
#9,570
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,249 bearers of the surname Arens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9570th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arens, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arens
Among Census respondents with the surname Arens, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Arens 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 Arens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 3,024
- Two or more races3.0% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 89
- Black or African American0.7% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arens
Arens 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
#10,487
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,060
-7 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 764 places
2020
#9,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,249
+189 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 917 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,723 | 3,067 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,487 | 3,060 | 1.04 | -7 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 764 places |
| 2020 | #9,570 | 3,249 | 1.09 | +189 bearers (+6.2%) | Up 917 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 Arens 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 | #10,487 | #9,570 | 8.7% |
| Count | 3,060 | 3,249 | 6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 1.09 | 4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arens bearers went from 3,060 to 3,249 (+6.2% change). The surname moved up 917 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,487 to #9,570.
FAQ
Arens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arens?
Name Census estimates that about 3,726 living Americans carry the surname Arens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,990 residents.
How common is Arens?
Arens ranks #9,570 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,249 people with the surname Arens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,726), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Arens.
Has Arens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arens went from 3,060 recorded bearers to 3,249. That is an increase of 189 (+6.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,487 to #9,570.
What does the Census say about the background of Arens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arens, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Arens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (3,024 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Arens (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 Arens mean?
A Dutch and German surname derived from the given name Arend, meaning "eagle." 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 Arens (1.09 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 Arens?
See how many Americans have the surname Arens on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.