2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Arndell
A habitational surname referring to someone from Arndell, a place near Bedlington in Northumberland, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Arndell. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arndell 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Arndell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arndell, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arndell
The surname Arndell has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to derive from the Old English words "earn" meaning eagle and "dell" meaning valley, indicating that the name may have originated from a person who lived near a valley frequented by eagles.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it is spelled as "Arnedel". This suggests that the name was present in this region during the medieval period.
In the 14th century, the surname is found in various records from Kent, such as the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334, where it is spelled "Arnedell". This indicates that the name had spread to different parts of England by this time.
The Arndell name can also be linked to several place names in England, such as Arndell Farm in Kent and Arndell Close in Surrey. These locations may have been named after individuals bearing the surname or vice versa.
Notable individuals with the surname Arndell include:
1. Sir John Arndell (c. 1490 - 1551), an English politician and landowner from Cornwall.
2. Richard Arndell (c. 1610 - 1682), an English colonist who settled in Virginia and served as a member of the House of Burgesses.
3. Thomas Arndell (1635 - 1677), an English clergyman and author who wrote a treatise on the Apocalypse.
4. Thomas Arndell (1692 - 1773), a British naval officer who served during the War of the Austrian Succession.
5. Michael Arndell (1718 - 1796), a British landowner and Member of Parliament for Arundel.
Throughout its history, the Arndell surname has maintained a presence in various parts of England, particularly in the southern regions. While its origins can be traced back to the 13th century, the name has evolved over time, with variations in spelling reflecting the changes in language and regional dialects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arndell
Among Census respondents with the surname Arndell, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Arndell 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 Arndell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 109
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arndell
Arndell 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+12 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 1,303 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-18 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,534 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +12 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 1,303 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 17,534 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 Arndell 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 | #127,494 | #145,028 | -13.8% |
| Count | 134 | 116 | -13.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arndell bearers went from 134 to 116 (-13.4% change). The surname moved down 17,534 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #145,028.
FAQ
Arndell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arndell?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Arndell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Arndell?
Arndell ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Arndell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Arndell.
Has Arndell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arndell went from 134 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Arndell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arndell, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Arndell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arndell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Black (2.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Arndell (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 Arndell mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from Arndell, a place near Bedlington in Northumberland, England. 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 Arndell (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 people share the surname Arndell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.