2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Arlitt
A variant spelling of the German surname "Urland" referring to a landowner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Arlitt. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arlitt 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Arlitt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arlitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arlitt
The surname Arlitt has its origins in Germany, and it is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "Arlit," which means "eagle-like" or "noble like an eagle." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who exhibited qualities associated with the eagle, such as strength, courage, or keen vision.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Arlitt can be traced back to the regions of Bavaria and Saxony in Germany. In those areas, the name was sometimes spelled as "Arleth" or "Arlit." Some historical records from the 15th and 16th centuries mention individuals with the surname Arlitt or its variations, though their specific identities and roles are not well documented.
One notable figure associated with the name Arlitt was Johann Arlitt, a German composer and organist who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries (c. 1570-1622). He is known for his contributions to the development of Protestant church music during the Reformation era.
Another individual of historical significance was Wilhelm Arlitt (1809-1891), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Frankfurt Parliament during the revolutions of 1848-1849. He played a role in the early democratic movements in Germany.
In the 19th century, the name Arlitt gained some prominence in the United States due to the migration of German families. One such individual was John Arlitt (1823-1897), a German-American farmer and businessman who settled in Illinois and became a prominent figure in the local community.
Additionally, a notable academic was Ada Hart Arlitt (1876-1949), an American psychologist and educator who made significant contributions to the field of child psychology. She authored several books and articles on child development and teaching methods.
Another individual worth mentioning is Karl Arlitt (1891-1945), a German architect and urban planner who designed several buildings and urban development projects in Berlin and other German cities during the early 20th century.
While the surname Arlitt is not extremely common, it has a long history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including musicians, politicians, businesspeople, and academics, across different time periods and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arlitt
Among Census respondents with the surname Arlitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Arlitt 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 Arlitt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arlitt
Arlitt 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
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,220 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 6,220 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 Arlitt 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 | #160,975 | #154,755 | 3.9% |
| Count | 100 | 102 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arlitt bearers went from 100 to 102 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 6,220 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #154,755.
FAQ
Arlitt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arlitt?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Arlitt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Arlitt?
Arlitt ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Arlitt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Arlitt.
Has Arlitt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arlitt went from 100 recorded bearers to 102. That is an increase of 2 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Arlitt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arlitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (2.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Arlitt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arlitt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (2.9%), Black (2.0%). 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 Arlitt (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 Arlitt mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname "Urland" referring to a landowner. 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 Arlitt (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 share the surname Arlitt?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.