2000
#22,973
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,040
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.39
Rare Last name
Arreaga
An uncommon Spanish surname derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,297 Americans carry the last name Arreaga. That puts it at #14,366 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,218 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arreaga 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
2.3K
1 in 149,218
Census rank
#14,366
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,003 bearers of the surname Arreaga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14366th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arreaga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arreaga
The surname Arreaga is of Spanish origin, specifically from the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It emerged during the medieval period, likely in the 11th or 12th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Basque words "arri" meaning "stone" and "aga" meaning "place" or "area," suggesting a connection to a rocky or stony place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arreaga can be found in a 14th-century document from the town of Durango in the Basque province of Biscay. This document mentions an individual named Pedro de Arreaga, who was a local landowner and prominent figure in the region.
Another notable historical reference is the mention of a Juan de Arreaga in a 16th-century manuscript detailing the conquest of Mexico by Spanish conquistadors. Juan de Arreaga was a soldier who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the expedition and is believed to have participated in the decisive Battle of Otumba in 1520.
In the late 15th century, a branch of the Arreaga family settled in the town of Arrechavaleta, located in the present-day province of Guipúzcoa in the Basque Country. This town's name is thought to be derived from the Basque words "arri" (stone) and "chavaletea" (stony place), which could be related to the origin of the Arreaga surname.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Arreaga have achieved notable status. One example is Martín Arreaga (1520-1592), a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Philippine Islands and served as a military leader under Miguel López de Legazpi.
Another prominent figure is Juan Arreaga de Gamboa (1564-1635), a Spanish lawyer and writer who served as a magistrate in the Court of Chancery in Valladolid. He is known for his legal writings and commentaries on Spanish law.
In the field of art, José Arreaga (1745-1825) was a renowned Spanish painter from Seville, known for his religious works and portraits commissioned by the Spanish nobility.
Additionally, Ignacio Arreaga (1801-1879) was a Mexican politician and military officer who served as the governor of the state of Jalisco in the mid-19th century.
Lastly, María Arreaga (1908-1994) was a Venezuelan painter and sculptor, celebrated for her contributions to the Venezuelan art scene and her unique style blending traditional and modern elements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arreaga
Among Census respondents with the surname Arreaga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Arreaga 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 Arreaga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.9% · 1,920
- White3.1% · 63
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
- Two or more races0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arreaga
Arreaga 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
#19,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,362
+322 bearers (+31.0%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Up 3,210 places
2020
#14,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,003
+641 bearers (+47.1%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 5,397 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,973 | 1,040 | 0.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,763 | 1,362 | 0.46 | +322 bearers (+31.0%) | Up 3,210 places |
| 2020 | #14,366 | 2,003 | 0.67 | +641 bearers (+47.1%) | Up 5,397 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 Arreaga 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 | #19,763 | #14,366 | 27.3% |
| Count | 1,362 | 2,003 | 47.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.46 | 0.67 | 45.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arreaga bearers went from 1,362 to 2,003 (+47.1% change). The surname moved up 5,397 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,763 to #14,366.
FAQ
Arreaga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arreaga?
Name Census estimates that about 2,297 living Americans carry the surname Arreaga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,218 residents.
How common is Arreaga?
Arreaga ranks #14,366 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,003 people with the surname Arreaga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,297), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Arreaga.
Has Arreaga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arreaga went from 1,362 recorded bearers to 2,003. That is an increase of 641 (+47.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,763 to #14,366.
What does the Census say about the background of Arreaga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arreaga, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (3.1%) and Black (0.4%). 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 Arreaga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.9% (1,920 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arreaga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.9%), White (3.1%), Black (0.4%). 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 Arreaga (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 Arreaga mean?
An uncommon Spanish surname derived from a place name. 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 Arreaga (0.67 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 Arreaga?
Want to know how common the surname Arreaga is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.