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

Arias, 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 Arias surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arias in America

Arias is the 581st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arias surname appeared 57,477 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 19 people would have the surname Arias.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arias 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 Arias

The surname Arias has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Latin word "arius," which means "heir" or "descendant." The name likely originated as a descriptive surname, identifying individuals as descendants or heirs of a particular lineage or family.

One of the earliest records of the name Arias can be found in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that contains information about the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. The manuscript mentions several individuals with the surname Arias, suggesting its presence in the Iberian Peninsula during that time.

In the 13th century, the name Arias appeared in various historical documents, such as the Cantar de Mio Cid, a Castilian epic poem that celebrates the exploits of the legendary Spanish hero, El Cid. One of the prominent characters in the poem is Alvar Arias, a nobleman and military leader who fought alongside El Cid.

The town of Arias, located in the province of Navarra, Spain, likely contributed to the widespread use of the surname in that region. It is believed that some individuals adopted the place name as their surname, further solidifying the presence of Arias in Spain.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Arias include:

1. Benito Arias Montano (1527-1598), a Spanish scholar and humanist known for his contributions to biblical studies and his work on the Antwerp Polyglot Bible.

2. Pedro Arias Dávila (c. 1440-1531), a Spanish conquistador and the first Governor of Panama, appointed by the Spanish Crown in 1514.

3. Juan de Arias Dávila y Ovando (1462-1520), a Spanish nobleman and military commander during the reign of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon.

4. Diego Arias de Ávila (c. 1470-1538), a Spanish nobleman and military leader who served as the Governor of Costa Rica and Nicaragua in the early 16th century.

5. Gonzalo Arias de Saavedra (c. 1516-1598), a Spanish conquistador and the first Governor of the Río de la Plata region (present-day Argentina and Uruguay).

The surname Arias has maintained a strong presence throughout Spain and its former colonies, reflecting its deep-rooted history and the legacy of those who bore this name in the past.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arias

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

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

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

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