Arnaiz last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Arnaiz

A Basque surname derived from the place name "Arnaiz", meaning "the valley of the raspberry".

Arnaiz, 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 Arnaiz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arnaiz in America

Arnaiz is the 59742nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arnaiz surname appeared 338 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Arnaiz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arnaiz 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank5974271143-17.42%
Count33825627.61%
Proportion per 100k0.110.0920.00%

The history of the last name Arnaiz

The surname Arnaiz has its origins in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It is derived from the Basque words "arne" meaning valley and "aitz" meaning rock or stone, suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in a rocky valley.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the 15th century, when a Juan Arnaiz was mentioned in a legal document from the town of Vitoria, located in the Basque province of Alava. This indicates that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name can be found in various records from the Basque Country, such as parish registers and census documents. It is likely that the name spread beyond the Basque region during this period, as families migrated to other parts of Spain and Latin America.

A notable figure bearing the surname Arnaiz was Miguel Arnaiz y Arregui (1805-1867), a Spanish politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs under Queen Isabella II. He played a key role in negotiating treaties with various European powers during his time in office.

Another individual worth mentioning is Francisco Arnaiz y Freg (1835-1888), a Spanish painter and engraver who was part of the Realist movement in the 19th century. His works often depicted scenes from everyday life in Spain and are considered important examples of the country's artistic heritage.

In the 20th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the surname Arnaiz was Aurora Arnaiz Amigo (1892-1962), a Spanish poet and feminist activist. She was a member of the Athenaeum of Madrid and played a significant role in promoting women's rights and education in Spain.

Another notable figure was José Arnaiz (1905-1986), a Spanish footballer who played as a defender for various clubs, including Real Madrid and the Spanish national team. He was part of the squad that won the silver medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.

Finally, it is worth mentioning Joaquín Arnaiz (1919-1996), a Spanish writer and journalist who was known for his novels and short stories exploring themes of rural life and social issues in Spain. His work was widely acclaimed and earned him several literary awards during his lifetime.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arnaiz

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

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 Arnaiz was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only31.95%108
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only11.24%38
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races2.96%10
Hispanic Origin53.55%181

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 Arnaiz has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White31.95%42.58%-28.53%
Black(S)%0.00%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander11.24%9.77%13.99%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%0.00%(S)%
Two or More Races2.96%4.69%-45.23%
Hispanic53.55%42.97%21.92%

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

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

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