2000
#8,705
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,475
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Arguelles
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone from any of the various places in Spain called Argüelles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,328 Americans carry the last name Arguelles. That puts it at #6,969 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,331 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arguelles 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
5.3K
1 in 64,331
Census rank
#6,969
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,646 bearers of the surname Arguelles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6969th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arguelles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.7%) and White (8.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arguelles
The surname Arguelles originated from Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "arguello," which means "bramble" or "thicket." This suggests that the name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near a thorny area or worked with brambles.
The earliest recorded instances of the Arguelles surname can be traced back to the 13th century in the regions of Castile and Aragon. It is believed that the name may have been initially spelled as "Arguello" or "Argüello" before evolving into its current form.
One notable historical reference to the Arguelles name can be found in the medieval manuscript "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), written during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile in the 14th century. This text mentions several individuals with the surname Arguelles, indicating their involvement in hunting activities.
In the 15th century, the Arguelles family became prominent in the town of Argüelles, located in the Principality of Asturias. This place name likely contributed to the surname's evolution and reinforced its association with the region.
Among the notable individuals who bore the Arguelles surname throughout history are:
1. Diego Argüelles y Valdés (1617-1680), a Spanish military officer and governor of Chile from 1673 to 1676.
2. Agustín Argüelles (1776-1844), a Spanish politician and one of the leading figures in the Spanish Liberal Movement during the early 19th century.
3. José Cándido Arguelles (1813-1891), a Cuban-born Spanish writer and journalist who played a significant role in the development of Spanish Romantic literature.
4. Santiago Arguelles (1848-1910), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Minister of War and Navy in Spain from 1908 to 1909.
5. José Arguelles (1939-2011), an American artist, author, and activist known for his involvement in the peace and environmental movements, as well as his advocacy for the Mayan calendar.
The Arguelles surname has a rich history spanning centuries and can be traced back to its origins in medieval Spain. While it was initially associated with geographic features and occupations, it has since become a prominent name carried by influential individuals across various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arguelles
Among Census respondents with the surname Arguelles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.7%) and White (8.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Arguelles 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 Arguelles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino80.2% · 3,728
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.7% · 452
- White8.4% · 389
- Two or more races1.2% · 54
- Black or African American0.4% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arguelles
Arguelles 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
#6,932
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,837
+1,362 bearers (+39.2%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Up 1,773 places
2020
#6,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,646
-191 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,705 | 3,475 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,932 | 4,837 | 1.64 | +1,362 bearers (+39.2%) | Up 1,773 places |
| 2020 | #6,969 | 4,646 | 1.55 | -191 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 37 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 Arguelles 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 | #6,932 | #6,969 | -0.5% |
| Count | 4,837 | 4,646 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.64 | 1.55 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arguelles bearers went from 4,837 to 4,646 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,932 to #6,969.
FAQ
Arguelles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arguelles?
Name Census estimates that about 5,328 living Americans carry the surname Arguelles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,331 residents.
How common is Arguelles?
Arguelles ranks #6,969 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,646 people with the surname Arguelles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,328), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Arguelles.
Has Arguelles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arguelles went from 4,837 recorded bearers to 4,646. That is a decrease of 191 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,932 to #6,969.
What does the Census say about the background of Arguelles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arguelles, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.7%) and White (8.4%). 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 Arguelles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (3,728 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arguelles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (80.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.7%), White (8.4%). 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 Arguelles (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 Arguelles mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone from any of the various places in Spain called Argüelles. 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 Arguelles (1.55 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 share the surname Arguelles?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.