2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ariciaga
A Basque surname derived from a placename or region in the Basque Country.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Ariciaga. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ariciaga 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Ariciaga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ariciaga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ariciaga
The surname ARICIAGA has its origins in the Basque region of Spain and France. It is believed to have derived from the Basque language, though the exact meaning and etymology are uncertain. Some suggest it may be a combination of the Basque words "ari" meaning "grain" and "ziaga" meaning "place of", potentially referring to a location where grain was grown or stored.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 16th century, appearing in documents from the town of Arrichinaga in the province of Gipuzkoa, Basque Country. It is possible that the surname ARICIAGA originated as a toponymic name, referring to individuals from this specific location.
In the 17th century, records show individuals with the surname ARICIAGA living in various parts of the Basque region, including the towns of Bilbao and San Sebastián. During this time, the name was sometimes spelled with slight variations, such as "Arrichaga" or "Arrizaga".
Notable individuals with the surname ARICIAGA throughout history include:
1. Juan Ariciaga (1540-1612), a Basque merchant and explorer who participated in expeditions to the Americas.
2. María Ariciaga (1675-1745), a renowned Basque writer and poet whose works contributed to the preservation of the Basque language and culture.
3. Pedro Ariciaga (1710-1789), a Basque architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings in the Basque region.
4. Ignacio Ariciaga (1825-1892), a Basque military officer who fought in the Carlist Wars, a series of civil wars in Spain during the 19th century.
5. Juana Ariciaga (1860-1935), a Basque educator and advocate for women's rights, who established several schools for girls in the Basque Country.
While the ARICIAGA surname is not as common outside of the Basque region, it has spread to other parts of Spain, as well as to Latin American countries like Mexico and Argentina, likely due to migration patterns in the past few centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ariciaga
Among Census respondents with the surname Ariciaga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ariciaga 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 Ariciaga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino99.0% · 103
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ariciaga
Ariciaga appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 962 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 962 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 Ariciaga 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 | #152,628 | #153,590 | -0.6% |
| Count | 107 | 104 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ariciaga bearers went from 107 to 104 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 962 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #153,590.
FAQ
Ariciaga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ariciaga?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Ariciaga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Ariciaga?
Ariciaga ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Ariciaga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Ariciaga.
Has Ariciaga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ariciaga went from 107 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Ariciaga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ariciaga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%). 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 Ariciaga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ariciaga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (99.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Ariciaga (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 Ariciaga mean?
A Basque surname derived from a placename or region in the Basque Country. 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 Ariciaga (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 Ariciaga?
You can see how many people are called Ariciaga on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.