2000
#42,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 484
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Arrazola
A Basque surname meaning "the oak grove" or "the small oak forest".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 886 Americans carry the last name Arrazola. That puts it at #32,001 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 386,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arrazola 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
886
1 in 386,856
Census rank
#32,001
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
773
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 773 bearers of the surname Arrazola in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32001st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arrazola, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arrazola
The surname Arrazola is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the Basque Country region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It is believed to have originated during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 11th or 12th century.
The name Arrazola is derived from the Basque language and is thought to be a combination of two words: "arri," meaning "stone," and "zola," meaning "flat" or "plain." This suggests that the surname may have initially referred to a geographic location or a place characterized by a flat, stony area.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Arrazola can be found in the Becerro Galicano de las Behetrías, a medieval Spanish document dating back to the 14th century. This record mentions individuals bearing the Arrazola name in the town of Lequeitio, located in the Basque province of Biscay.
During the 16th century, the Arrazola family gained prominence in the region, with several members holding influential positions within the local government and religious institutions. Notable figures from this period include Juan Arrazola (c. 1520-1598), a respected jurist and advisor to the Spanish Crown.
In the 17th century, the Arrazola surname appeared in various historical documents related to the Spanish exploration and colonization of the Americas. One such individual was Diego de Arrazola (c. 1630-1692), a Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the Caribbean and South America.
As the centuries progressed, the Arrazola name spread beyond the Basque Country, with branches of the family establishing themselves in other parts of Spain, as well as in Latin American countries like Mexico and Argentina.
One of the most notable figures bearing the Arrazola surname was Mariano Arrazola (1778-1853), a Spanish politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 1847 to 1848. He was born in Checa, a town in the province of Guadalajara, highlighting the dispersal of the Arrazola family throughout Spain.
Another prominent individual was Luis Arrazola (1794-1873), a Mexican lawyer, politician, and writer who played a significant role in the country's political and intellectual life during the 19th century. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and briefly as interim President of Mexico in 1853.
In the realm of literature, the name Arrazola is represented by José Arrazola (1819-1877), a Spanish poet and playwright who gained recognition for his works in the Romantic and Costumbrista traditions.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals bearing the Arrazola surname throughout history, reflecting its deep roots in the Basque region and its subsequent spread across Spain, Latin America, and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arrazola
Among Census respondents with the surname Arrazola, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Arrazola 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 Arrazola surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.7% · 709
- White5.8% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- Two or more races0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arrazola
Arrazola 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
#30,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 778
+294 bearers (+60.7%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Up 12,078 places
2020
#32,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 773
-5 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 1,862 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #42,217 | 484 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,139 | 778 | 0.26 | +294 bearers (+60.7%) | Up 12,078 places |
| 2020 | #32,001 | 773 | 0.26 | -5 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 1,862 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 Arrazola 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 | #30,139 | #32,001 | -6.2% |
| Count | 778 | 773 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.26 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arrazola bearers went from 778 to 773 (-0.6% change). The surname moved down 1,862 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,139 to #32,001.
FAQ
Arrazola surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arrazola?
Name Census estimates that about 886 living Americans carry the surname Arrazola. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 386,856 residents.
How common is Arrazola?
Arrazola ranks #32,001 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 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 773 people with the surname Arrazola. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (886), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 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 Arrazola.
Has Arrazola become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arrazola went from 778 recorded bearers to 773. That is a decrease of 5 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #30,139 to #32,001.
What does the Census say about the background of Arrazola?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arrazola, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Arrazola in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (709 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arrazola appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.7%), White (5.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Arrazola (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 Arrazola mean?
A Basque surname meaning "the oak grove" or "the small oak forest". 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 Arrazola (0.26 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 Arrazola?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.