2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Arocena
A Basque surname originating from the region of Navarre, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Arocena. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arocena 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Arocena in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arocena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (33.6%) and White (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arocena
The surname Arocena has its origins in the Basque region of Spain and France. The name is derived from the Basque words "arotze" meaning "miller" and "ena" signifying "place of." Thus, the name likely originated as a toponymic surname referencing a place associated with a miller or mill.
Records from the 16th century mention the name Arocena in various parts of the Basque Country, such as the village of Arocena in Navarre, Spain. This village name is believed to be the root of the surname. Similar early spellings included Arozena and Arotzena.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arocena is found in a 1567 baptismal record from the church of San Sebastián in Soria, Spain, which lists a child named Juan de Arocena. In the 17th century, the name appears in legal documents from the town of Oyarzun in Gipuzkoa, Spain, referring to individuals like Domingo de Arocena (1625-1687).
Notable historical figures with the surname Arocena include Juan Bautista Arocena (1755-1829), a Spanish military officer who fought in the Peninsular War against the French. In the 19th century, Francisco Arocena (1825-1891) was a prominent Basque politician and lawyer from San Sebastián.
Other significant individuals bearing this name include the Peruvian writer and journalist Pedro Arocena (1892-1971), known for his works on Peruvian culture and history. In the 20th century, José Arocena (1914-1988) was a renowned Spanish sculptor and painter from Navarre.
A more recent example is Miguel Arocena (born 1949), a Uruguayan football player who represented his country in the 1970 FIFA World Cup. He later had a successful coaching career in South America.
Overall, the surname Arocena has deep roots in the Basque regions of Spain and France, originating as a place name associated with mills or millers. Its presence can be traced back several centuries, with various notable individuals bearing this name throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arocena
Among Census respondents with the surname Arocena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (33.6%) and White (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Arocena 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 Arocena surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino61.8% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander33.6% · 37
- White2.7% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arocena
Arocena appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,006 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 1,006 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 Arocena 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 | #150,452 | #149,446 | 0.7% |
| Count | 109 | 110 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arocena bearers went from 109 to 110 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 1,006 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #149,446.
FAQ
Arocena surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arocena?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Arocena. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Arocena?
Arocena ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Arocena. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Arocena.
Has Arocena become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arocena went from 109 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Arocena?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arocena, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (33.6%) and White (2.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Arocena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.8% (68 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arocena appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (61.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (33.6%), White (2.7%). 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 Arocena (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 Arocena mean?
A Basque surname originating from the region of Navarre, Spain. 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 Arocena (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 Arocena?
You can see how common the surname Arocena is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.