2000
#2,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,027
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.94
Uncommon Last name
Arnett
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "eagle net" or "eagle snare" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,882 Americans carry the last name Arnett. That puts it at #2,276 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,168 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arnett 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Arnett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,168
Census rank
#2,276
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,594 bearers of the surname Arnett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2276th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arnett
The surname Arnett has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French name "Arnaud" or "Arnolt", which itself comes from the Germanic name "Arnwald", meaning "ruler of eagles".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arnett can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1176, where a certain Richard Arnett is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279, listing a William Arnett as a landowner.
During the Middle Ages, the name Arnett was particularly prevalent in the counties of Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and Leicestershire. It is thought that the name may have originated from a place called Arnat or Arnot, which no longer exists but was likely located in one of these areas.
In the 14th century, the Arnett family was well-established in the village of Tamworth, Staffordshire. A notable member of this family was John Arnett, who served as a bailiff in Tamworth in 1362. Another early record mentions a Thomas Arnett, who was a landowner in Warwickshire in the late 15th century.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Arnett was Sir John Arnett (1555-1637), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Lichfield during the reign of King James I. He was also a prominent landowner in Staffordshire and played a significant role in local affairs.
Other notable Arnetts throughout history include:
1. William Arnett (1808-1863), an English clergyman and author who served as the Vicar of Shepshed, Leicestershire.
2. Richard Arnett (1828-1888), an English-born Australian politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.
3. Trevor Arnett (1924-2017), a British artist and sculptor known for his abstract works and public sculptures.
4. Susan Arnett (born 1959), an American actress best known for her roles in television shows like "The Waltons" and "Little House on the Prairie".
5. Jim Arnett (born 1953), an American professional golfer who won several tournaments on the PGA Tour during the 1970s and 1980s.
While the name Arnett has undergone various spellings over the centuries, such as Arnett, Arnitt, and Arnatt, its origins can be traced back to the medieval English heartlands, where it was borne by individuals of notable standing and influence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arnett
Among Census respondents with the surname Arnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Arnett 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 Arnett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 12,926
- Black or African American8.2% · 1,281
- Two or more races4.5% · 705
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 461
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 118
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 103
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arnett
Arnett 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
#2,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,499
+472 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 5.59
Rank movement Down 131 places
2020
#2,276
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,594
-905 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 5.22
Rank movement Down 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,075 | 16,027 | 5.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,206 | 16,499 | 5.59 | +472 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 131 places |
| 2020 | #2,276 | 15,594 | 5.22 | -905 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 70 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 Arnett 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 | #2,206 | #2,276 | -3.2% |
| Count | 16,499 | 15,594 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 5.59 | 5.22 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arnett bearers went from 16,499 to 15,594 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,206 to #2,276.
FAQ
Arnett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arnett?
Name Census estimates that about 17,882 living Americans carry the surname Arnett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,168 residents.
How common is Arnett?
Arnett ranks #2,276 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,594 people with the surname Arnett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,882), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Arnett.
Has Arnett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arnett went from 16,499 recorded bearers to 15,594. That is a decrease of 905 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,206 to #2,276.
What does the Census say about the background of Arnett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Arnett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (12,926 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arnett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Black (8.2%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Arnett (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 Arnett mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "eagle net" or "eagle snare" in Old English. 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 Arnett (5.22 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 Arnett?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.