2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Arnos
A place name derived from the name of a river in France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Arnos. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arnos 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Arnos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arnos, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arnos
The surname ARNOS is believed to have originated in Spain and Portugal, deriving from the Latin word "arnus," meaning "lamb." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with sheep herders or those involved in the wool trade.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century, appearing in various historical records and documents from the Iberian Peninsula. One notable example is the mention of a certain Pedro Arnos in the "Fuero de Sepúlveda," a legal code dated around 1300 that governed the town of Sepúlveda in Castile, Spain.
As the name spread throughout the region, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as "Arnau" or "Arnaldo," which were common in Catalonia and other parts of the Iberian Peninsula. These variations likely stemmed from local dialects and the influence of different languages coexisting in the area.
In the 15th century, the name ARNOS gained prominence in Portugal, particularly in the northern region of Minho. Historical records from this time period mention several individuals bearing this surname, including João Arnos, a landowner and nobleman who lived in the town of Viana do Castelo during the reign of King Afonso V (1432-1481).
As the Age of Exploration dawned in the 16th century, some bearers of the ARNOS surname ventured to the newly discovered territories in the Americas and other parts of the world. One such individual was Gonzalo Arnos, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the 1520s.
Other notable figures with the surname ARNOS include:
1. Juan Arnos (c. 1560-1625), a Spanish painter and sculptor active in Seville during the Golden Age of Spanish art.
2. Antonio Arnos (1675-1744), a Portuguese architect and engineer known for his work on several churches and fortifications in Lisbon.
3. María Arnos (1760-1826), a Spanish poet and writer who gained recognition for her romantic and patriotic verses.
4. José Arnos (1815-1890), a Mexican politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Second Mexican Empire.
5. Matilde Arnos (1875-1936), a renowned Portuguese opera singer and one of the first female musicians to achieve international fame from the Iberian Peninsula.
While the surname ARNOS may have originated from humble beginnings, its historical journey reflects the diverse contributions of its bearers across various fields, from the arts and literature to politics and exploration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arnos
Among Census respondents with the surname Arnos, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Arnos 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 Arnos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arnos
Arnos 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
-8 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,970 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-16 bearers (-12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,748 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 13,970 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.5%) | Down 15,748 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 Arnos 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 | #132,206 | #147,954 | -11.9% |
| Count | 128 | 112 | -12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arnos bearers went from 128 to 112 (-12.5% change). The surname moved down 15,748 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #147,954.
FAQ
Arnos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arnos?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Arnos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Arnos?
Arnos ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Arnos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Arnos.
Has Arnos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arnos went from 128 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Arnos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arnos, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Arnos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arnos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Hispanic (1.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Arnos (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 Arnos mean?
A place name derived from the name of a river in France. 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 Arnos (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 have the last name Arnos?
Find out how common the surname Arnos is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.