2000
#19,376
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,293
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Arner
A topographical surname referring to a dweller near alder trees or an alder grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,373 Americans carry the last name Arner. That puts it at #22,107 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 249,639 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arner 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
1.4K
1 in 249,639
Census rank
#22,107
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,197 bearers of the surname Arner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22107th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arner
The surname ARNER originated in Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "arn," meaning eagle, suggesting that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who hunted or kept eagles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ARNER appears in the 14th-century manuscript "Chronica Ecclesiae Pragensis," which mentions an individual named Johannes Arner living in Prague during that time period.
In the late 15th century, the name ARNER was found in various records from the German states of Bavaria and Saxony, indicating that the name was prevalent in these regions. The spellings "Arnner" and "Arnere" were also commonly used during this era.
In the 16th century, the name ARNER was associated with several notable individuals, including Hans Arner (1492-1561), a German painter and engraver known for his religious artwork, and Christoph Arner (1523-1589), a German theologian and author.
During the 17th century, the name ARNER was found in records from the German town of Arnstadt, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname. Peter Arner (1619-1692), a German composer and organist, was a prominent figure from this period.
The 18th century saw the emergence of Johann Arner (1744-1812), a German philosopher and author who wrote extensively on the concept of human freedom and morality.
In the 19th century, the name ARNER continued to be found in various German regions, with some individuals migrating to other parts of Europe and North America. One notable figure from this time was Heinrich Arner (1856-1919), a German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in Chicago, including the Chicago Board of Trade Building.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arner
Among Census respondents with the surname Arner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Arner 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 Arner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 1,059
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 54
- Black or African American3.8% · 45
- Two or more races2.3% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arner
Arner 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
#18,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,481
+188 bearers (+14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Up 775 places
2020
#22,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,197
-284 bearers (-19.2%)
Per 100,000 0.40
Rank movement Down 3,506 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,376 | 1,293 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,601 | 1,481 | 0.50 | +188 bearers (+14.5%) | Up 775 places |
| 2020 | #22,107 | 1,197 | 0.40 | -284 bearers (-19.2%) | Down 3,506 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 Arner 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 | #18,601 | #22,107 | -18.8% |
| Count | 1,481 | 1,197 | -19.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.50 | 0.40 | -19.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arner bearers went from 1,481 to 1,197 (-19.2% change). The surname moved down 3,506 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,601 to #22,107.
FAQ
Arner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arner?
Name Census estimates that about 1,373 living Americans carry the surname Arner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 249,639 residents.
How common is Arner?
Arner ranks #22,107 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.40 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 1,197 people with the surname Arner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,373), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.40 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 Arner.
Has Arner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arner went from 1,481 recorded bearers to 1,197. That is a decrease of 284 (-19.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,601 to #22,107.
What does the Census say about the background of Arner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (3.8%). 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 Arner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (1,059 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Hispanic (4.5%), Black (3.8%). 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 Arner (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 Arner mean?
A topographical surname referring to a dweller near alder trees or an alder grove. 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 Arner (0.40 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 Arner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.