2000
#45,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 444
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Aronow
From a Russian topographic name meaning "arable land".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 525 Americans carry the last name Aronow. That puts it at #49,576 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 652,865 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aronow 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
525
1 in 652,865
Census rank
#49,576
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
458
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 458 bearers of the surname Aronow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 49576th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aronow, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aronow
The surname Aronow is of Yiddish origin, derived from the Hebrew name "Aharon" or "Aaron," meaning "high mountain" or "exalted." This name was particularly common among Ashkenazi Jewish communities in Eastern Europe, particularly in Poland, Russia, and Ukraine.
The earliest recorded instances of the Aronow surname can be traced back to the 17th century in various Jewish community records and synagogue documents. It is believed that the name originated as a patronymic, denoting a son or descendant of someone named Aaron.
In the early 19th century, the surname Aronow appeared in various historical records, such as census lists and vital records, in areas like Galicia (now part of Poland and Ukraine) and the Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire. During this period, many Jews adopted or were assigned surnames as part of the Russification policies of the Tsarist authorities.
One notable figure bearing the Aronow surname was Isaac Aronow, a prominent Jewish scholar and Rabbi who lived in the late 18th century in the town of Vilna (now Vilnius, Lithuania). He was renowned for his expertise in Talmudic studies and Jewish law.
Another historical figure was Shlomo Aronow, a successful merchant and philanthropist who lived in the early 19th century in Odessa, then part of the Russian Empire. He was known for his support of Jewish educational institutions and charitable causes.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals with the Aronow surname emigrated from Eastern Europe to various countries, including the United States, Canada, and parts of Western Europe, seeking better opportunities and fleeing persecution.
One notable Aronow of this era was Morris Aronow, a businessman and community leader who arrived in New York City from Poland in the 1890s. He was active in various Jewish organizations and played a role in supporting the settlement of fellow immigrants.
Another significant figure was Sarah Aronow, a writer and activist born in Ukraine in the late 19th century. She was involved in the early Zionist movement and wrote extensively on Jewish culture and the need for a Jewish homeland.
As the Aronow surname spread across different countries and regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Aronoff, Aronowitz, and Aronowsky, reflecting the linguistic adaptations and local customs of different communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aronow
Among Census respondents with the surname Aronow, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Aronow 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 Aronow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 429
- Two or more races2.8% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 10
- Black or African American0.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aronow
Aronow 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
#47,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 450
+6 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 1,783 places
2020
#49,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 458
+8 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 2,390 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #45,403 | 444 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #47,186 | 450 | 0.15 | +6 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 1,783 places |
| 2020 | #49,576 | 458 | 0.15 | +8 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 2,390 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 Aronow 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 | #47,186 | #49,576 | -5.1% |
| Count | 450 | 458 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.15 | 2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aronow bearers went from 450 to 458 (+1.8% change). The surname moved down 2,390 positions in the national ranking, going from #47,186 to #49,576.
FAQ
Aronow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aronow?
Name Census estimates that about 525 living Americans carry the surname Aronow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 652,865 residents.
How common is Aronow?
Aronow ranks #49,576 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 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 458 people with the surname Aronow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (525), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 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 Aronow.
Has Aronow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aronow went from 450 recorded bearers to 458. That is an increase of 8 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #47,186 to #49,576.
What does the Census say about the background of Aronow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aronow, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Aronow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (429 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aronow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Aronow (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 Aronow mean?
From a Russian topographic name meaning "arable land". 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 Aronow (0.15 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 Aronow?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.