2000
#2,245
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,874
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.51
Uncommon Last name
Arreola
A Basque toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "ring" or "hoop," likely referring to a circular enclosure.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,327 Americans carry the last name Arreola. That puts it at #1,724 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,693 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arreola 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
23K
1 in 14,693
Census rank
#1,724
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,342 bearers of the surname Arreola in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1724th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arreola, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arreola
The surname Arreola is of Spanish origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Castile and Andalusia in Spain. The name Arreola is derived from the Spanish word "arreol," which means "small stream" or "brook." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who lived near a small stream or river.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Arreola can be found in the Catalonian monastery records of the 13th century. These records mention individuals with the surname Arreola, indicating its presence in the region during that time period. Additionally, the name appears in various historical documents from the 15th and 16th centuries, further solidifying its use and prevalence in Spain.
In the late 15th century, a nobleman named Juan de Arreola was mentioned in the chronicles of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. He was part of the expedition led by Hernán Cortés and played a role in the conquest of Mexico. Another notable figure from this period was Pedro de Arreola, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Francisco Pizarro in the conquest of Peru in the 16th century.
Over the centuries, the surname Arreola has been associated with various place names in Spain. For instance, the town of Arreola in the province of Burgos is believed to have derived its name from the surname itself. Similarly, there are records of individuals with the surname Arreola residing in the regions of Salamanca and Seville during the 16th and 17th centuries.
One of the most prominent individuals with the surname Arreola was Juan José Arreola, a renowned Mexican writer and playwright born in 1918. He was a celebrated figure in Mexican literature and known for his contributions to the genre of short stories. Another notable individual was Manuel Arreola, a Spanish military leader who played a significant role in the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors in the 15th century.
Other notable individuals with the surname Arreola include Jesús Arreola, a Mexican painter and sculptor from the 20th century, and Juan Arreola, a Spanish poet and translator who lived in the 16th century. Additionally, Francisco Arreola was a prominent Mexican architect who designed several notable buildings in Mexico City during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arreola
Among Census respondents with the surname Arreola, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Arreola 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 Arreola surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.2% · 19,168
- White3.2% · 658
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 402
- Two or more races0.3% · 53
- Black or African American0.2% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arreola
Arreola 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
#1,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,540
+6,666 bearers (+44.8%)
Per 100,000 7.30
Rank movement Up 572 places
2020
#1,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,342
-1,198 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 6.81
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,245 | 14,874 | 5.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,673 | 21,540 | 7.30 | +6,666 bearers (+44.8%) | Up 572 places |
| 2020 | #1,724 | 20,342 | 6.81 | -1,198 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 51 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 Arreola 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 | #1,673 | #1,724 | -3.0% |
| Count | 21,540 | 20,342 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 7.30 | 6.81 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arreola bearers went from 21,540 to 20,342 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,673 to #1,724.
FAQ
Arreola surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arreola?
Name Census estimates that about 23,327 living Americans carry the surname Arreola. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,693 residents.
How common is Arreola?
Arreola ranks #1,724 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,342 people with the surname Arreola. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,327), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Arreola.
Has Arreola become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arreola went from 21,540 recorded bearers to 20,342. That is a decrease of 1,198 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,673 to #1,724.
What does the Census say about the background of Arreola?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arreola, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Arreola in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (19,168 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arreola appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.2%), White (3.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Arreola (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 Arreola mean?
A Basque toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "ring" or "hoop," likely referring to a circular enclosure. 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 Arreola (6.81 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 Americans have the surname Arreola?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.