2000
#8,811
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,423
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Arp
Derived from a Middle English nickname meaning "dark-haired," or from a place name meaning "harp-shaped hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,742 Americans carry the last name Arp. That puts it at #9,529 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,597 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arp 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
3.7K
1 in 91,597
Census rank
#9,529
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,263 bearers of the surname Arp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9529th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arp
The surname Arp has its origins in the Low German and Dutch languages, and is believed to have first emerged in the regions of present-day northern Germany and the Netherlands during the medieval period.
Linguists suggest that the name derives from the Old Saxon and Old Frisian word "arp," meaning "harvest" or "crop." This connection implies that the surname may have initially been associated with individuals involved in agricultural pursuits or landowners who oversaw the harvesting of crops.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city-state of Bremen, Germany, dating back to the 13th century. In these records, the name appears as "Arpe" and "Arpp," suggesting variations in spelling during that time.
The Arp surname has also been found in several historical documents from the Netherlands, including the Oorkondenboek van Holland en Zeeland, a compilation of charters and records from the provinces of Holland and Zeeland, dating back to the 14th century.
Notable individuals with the surname Arp include:
1. Matthias Arp (1598-1663), a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher who served as the rector of the University of Rostock.
2. Jean Arp (1886-1966), a renowned French sculptor, painter, and poet, considered one of the founders of the Dada movement.
3. Halton Arp (1927-2013), an American astronomer known for his work on peculiar galaxies and his controversial theories challenging the Big Bang theory.
4. Hans Arp (1887-1966), a German-French poet, sculptor, and painter, closely associated with the Dada and Surrealist movements.
5. Johan Christian Arp (1793-1869), a Norwegian politician and landowner who served as a member of the Norwegian Parliament.
The surname has also been associated with various place names, such as the village of Arp in the Netherlands and the town of Arp in Texas, United States, which was named after a settler with the Arp surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arp
Among Census respondents with the surname Arp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Arp 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 Arp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 2,970
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 102
- Two or more races2.5% · 80
- Black or African American2.0% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arp
Arp 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
#9,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,401
-22 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 749 places
2020
#9,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,263
-138 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,811 | 3,423 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,560 | 3,401 | 1.15 | -22 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 749 places |
| 2020 | #9,529 | 3,263 | 1.09 | -138 bearers (-4.1%) | Up 31 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 Arp 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 | #9,560 | #9,529 | 0.3% |
| Count | 3,401 | 3,263 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.09 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arp bearers went from 3,401 to 3,263 (-4.1% change). The surname moved up 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,560 to #9,529.
FAQ
Arp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arp?
Name Census estimates that about 3,742 living Americans carry the surname Arp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,597 residents.
How common is Arp?
Arp ranks #9,529 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,263 people with the surname Arp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,742), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Arp.
Has Arp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arp went from 3,401 recorded bearers to 3,263. That is a decrease of 138 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,560 to #9,529.
What does the Census say about the background of Arp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Arp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (2,970 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Arp (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 Arp mean?
Derived from a Middle English nickname meaning "dark-haired," or from a place name meaning "harp-shaped hill." 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 Arp (1.09 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 are called Arp?
Find out how many people are called Arp on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.