2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Arin
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Arin. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arin 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Arin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arin, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.4%) and Hispanic (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arin
The surname Arin is believed to have originated in Spain, specifically in the region of Aragon. It is thought to be derived from the Latin word "arina," which means "sandy" or "of sand." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near sandy terrain or worked with sand in some capacity.
One of the earliest known records of the name Arin dates back to the 12th century, where it appears in a document from the monastery of San Juan de la Peña in Aragon. This document mentions a person named Petrus Arin, who was likely a landowner or prominent figure in the area.
During the 13th century, the name Arin began to spread across Spain, with records showing individuals bearing the name in various regions, including Catalonia and Valencia. Some notable people from this period include Jaume Arin (1215-1278), a knight who fought in the Reconquista, and Ramoneta Arin (1240-1305), a renowned poet and trobairitz from Barcelona.
As the centuries passed, the Arin surname continued to be present in Spain, with variations in spelling such as Arin, Arino, and Arines appearing in various documents and records. One notable figure from the 15th century was Gonzalo Arin (1435-1498), a merchant and explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas.
In the 17th century, the Arin name can be found in several manuscripts and records from the region of Aragon, including the baptismal records of the church of San Pablo in Zaragoza, which mention numerous individuals with the surname Arin.
Over time, the Arin surname spread to other parts of the world, likely through migration and exploration. One example is Juan Arin (1680-1745), a Spanish soldier who settled in Mexico and became a prominent landowner in the region of Puebla.
Overall, the surname Arin has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval Spain, where it was likely associated with sandy regions or occupations involving sand. While the name has evolved and spread across the globe, its origins remain rooted in the Aragonese region of Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arin
Among Census respondents with the surname Arin, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.4%) and Hispanic (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Arin 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 Arin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.3% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.4% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 8
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arin
Arin 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-20 bearers (-16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 30,093 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+12 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,491 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -20 bearers (-16.5%) | Down 30,093 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 12,491 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 Arin 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 | #159,712 | #147,221 | 7.8% |
| Count | 101 | 113 | 11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 26.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arin bearers went from 101 to 113 (+11.9% change). The surname moved up 12,491 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #147,221.
FAQ
Arin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arin?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Arin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Arin?
Arin ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Arin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Arin.
Has Arin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arin went from 101 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 12 (+11.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Arin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arin, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.4%) and Hispanic (7.1%). 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 Arin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (12.4%), Hispanic (7.1%). 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 Arin (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 Arin mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name. 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 Arin (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Arin?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.