2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Arial
A jewish surname derived from the french word for a public announcement referring to a town crier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Arial. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arial 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Arial in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arial, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.8%) and Two or More Races (13.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arial
The surname Arial is believed to have originated in Italy, with its earliest known records dating back to the late 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Latin word "area," which means a level or open space, suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a field or clearing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arial can be found in a document from the city of Florence, dated 1287, which mentions a family with the surname Ariali. This spelling variation is believed to be an earlier form of the modern Arial.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in several historical records across various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Lombardy, and Veneto. During this period, the name was also sometimes spelled as Ariale or Arialli, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
While the name does not appear in the famous Domesday Book, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, it is mentioned in other notable historical documents from Italy.
One notable individual with the surname Arial was Giovanni Arial, a prominent merchant and banker who lived in Venice in the late 15th century. He was known for his successful trading ventures and his influential role in the city's financial affairs.
Another individual of note was Lucrezia Arial, a skilled lace maker from the city of Burano, near Venice, who lived in the 16th century. Her intricate lace designs were highly sought after by wealthy patrons across Europe.
In the 17th century, Pietro Arial was a renowned architect from Milan, known for his innovative designs and his contributions to the Baroque architectural style. He designed several churches and palaces that still stand today.
Moving into the 18th century, Giacomo Arial was a renowned painter from the city of Verona. His works, which often depicted landscapes and scenes from everyday life, were celebrated for their attention to detail and vivid colors.
Lastly, in the 19th century, Francesca Arial was a prominent figure in the Italian women's rights movement. Born in 1832 in Turin, she advocated for women's education and played a significant role in the establishment of several schools and institutions dedicated to the empowerment of women.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arial
Among Census respondents with the surname Arial, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.8%) and Two or More Races (13.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Arial 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 Arial surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.3% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino17.8% · 18
- Two or more races13.9% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arial
Arial 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+15 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,339 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-22 bearers (-17.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 18,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 5,339 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -22 bearers (-17.9%) | Down 18,821 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 Arial 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 | #136,449 | #155,270 | -13.8% |
| Count | 123 | 101 | -17.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arial bearers went from 123 to 101 (-17.9% change). The surname moved down 18,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #155,270.
FAQ
Arial surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arial?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Arial. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Arial?
Arial ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101 people with the surname Arial. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Arial.
Has Arial become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arial went from 123 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 22 (-17.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Arial?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arial, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.8%) and Two or More Races (13.9%). 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 Arial in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.3% (67 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arial appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.3%), Hispanic (17.8%), Two or More Races (13.9%). 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 Arial (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 Arial mean?
A jewish surname derived from the french word for a public announcement referring to a town crier. 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 Arial (0.03 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 are called Arial?
See how many Americans have the surname Arial on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.