2000
#12,811
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,205
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Ariza
Derived from the Basque word "aritz," meaning "oak tree," suggesting a connection to the oak or a place where oaks grow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,934 Americans carry the last name Ariza. That puts it at #9,139 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,126 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ariza 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
3.9K
1 in 87,126
Census rank
#9,139
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,431 bearers of the surname Ariza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9139th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ariza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Black (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ariza
The surname Ariza is of Spanish origin, with roots tracing back to the region of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is believed to have derived from the Arabic word "riza," which means "meadow" or "pasture." This linguistic connection suggests that the name likely originated during the period of Moorish rule in the Iberian Peninsula, which lasted from the 8th to the 15th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ariza can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a 13th-century document that detailed the distribution of land and properties in the city of Seville after its reconquest by the Christian forces in 1248. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Ariza, indicating that the name was already established in the region at that time.
In the 14th century, the name Ariza appeared in various records from the Kingdom of Aragon, which encompassed parts of modern-day Spain and southern France. One notable figure from this period was Pedro Ariza, a renowned physician and scholar who served as the personal doctor to King Pedro IV of Aragon in the late 1300s.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ariza surname continued to be prevalent in various parts of Spain, particularly in Andalusia and the surrounding regions. One prominent individual from this era was Juan de Ariza, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 1500s.
In the 18th century, the Ariza name gained recognition in the field of arts and literature. One notable figure was José de Ariza, a Spanish painter and engraver who was active in the late 1700s and is known for his religious works and portraits.
As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Americas, the Ariza surname also spread to various colonies and territories. One notable figure from this period was Ignacio Ariza, a Mexican-born military officer who fought in the Mexican War of Independence against Spanish rule in the early 19th century.
Throughout history, the Ariza surname has been associated with various place names and locations, such as Ariza, a town in the province of Zaragoza, Spain, and Ariza, a municipality in the department of Antioquia, Colombia. These place names likely derived from the same Arabic roots as the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ariza
Among Census respondents with the surname Ariza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Black (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ariza 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 Ariza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.6% · 3,107
- White5.8% · 200
- Black or African American1.5% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 47
- Two or more races0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ariza
Ariza 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
#9,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,316
+1,111 bearers (+50.4%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Up 3,041 places
2020
#9,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,431
+115 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Up 631 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,811 | 2,205 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,770 | 3,316 | 1.12 | +1,111 bearers (+50.4%) | Up 3,041 places |
| 2020 | #9,139 | 3,431 | 1.15 | +115 bearers (+3.5%) | Up 631 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 Ariza 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 | #9,770 | #9,139 | 6.5% |
| Count | 3,316 | 3,431 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.12 | 1.15 | 2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ariza bearers went from 3,316 to 3,431 (+3.5% change). The surname moved up 631 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,770 to #9,139.
FAQ
Ariza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ariza?
Name Census estimates that about 3,934 living Americans carry the surname Ariza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,126 residents.
How common is Ariza?
Ariza ranks #9,139 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,431 people with the surname Ariza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,934), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ariza.
Has Ariza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ariza went from 3,316 recorded bearers to 3,431. That is an increase of 115 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,770 to #9,139.
What does the Census say about the background of Ariza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ariza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Black (1.5%). 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 Ariza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (3,107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ariza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.6%), White (5.8%), Black (1.5%). 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 Ariza (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 Ariza mean?
Derived from the Basque word "aritz," meaning "oak tree," suggesting a connection to the oak or a place where oaks grow. 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 Ariza (1.15 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 have the last name Ariza?
Want to know how common the surname Ariza is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.