2000
#8,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,665
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Arrieta
A Basque toponymic surname indicating someone from the town of Arrieta or a nearby stone quarry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,835 Americans carry the last name Arrieta. That puts it at #6,426 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,741 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arrieta 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
5.8K
1 in 58,741
Census rank
#6,426
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,088 bearers of the surname Arrieta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6426th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arrieta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arrieta
The surname Arrieta originates from the Basque Country, a region straddling the border between northern Spain and southwestern France. Its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, with the earliest known written records dating back to the 13th century.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Lope de Arrieta, a nobleman who lived in the late 13th century and was mentioned in several historical documents from the Kingdom of Navarre. The name is believed to be derived from the Basque word "arrieta," meaning a small valley or a meadow, suggesting that the family may have originally hailed from a location with such a geographical feature.
The Arrieta surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the 16th century, Juan de Arrieta was a prominent Basque architect who designed several churches and buildings in the region. During the Spanish Golden Age, Martín de Arrieta was a renowned playwright and poet whose works were performed in the royal court of King Philip IV.
In the 18th century, José de Arrieta y Mascarúa was a Spanish military officer who played a significant role in the defense of the city of Zaragoza during the Peninsular War against Napoleonic France. His bravery and leadership earned him recognition and admiration from his contemporaries.
Another notable figure was Emilia Pardo Bazán, a 19th-century Spanish novelist, journalist, and literary critic who was born Emilia Arrieta y Pardo Bazán. She was a prominent figure in the Spanish literary world and a pioneering voice for women's rights and social reform.
In more recent times, Juan Arrieta was a renowned Venezuelan composer and conductor who lived from 1917 to 1986. His works contributed significantly to the development of classical music in his home country and helped to promote Venezuelan cultural identity on the international stage.
While the Arrieta surname has its roots in the Basque Country, it has since spread to various parts of Spain, as well as to Latin American countries such as Venezuela, Mexico, and Argentina, carried by the descendants of Spanish emigrants who settled in these regions during the colonial era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arrieta
Among Census respondents with the surname Arrieta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Arrieta 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 Arrieta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.3% · 4,440
- White7.2% · 364
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 214
- Two or more races0.8% · 39
- Black or African American0.5% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arrieta
Arrieta 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
#6,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,053
+1,388 bearers (+37.9%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Up 1,630 places
2020
#6,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,088
+35 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Up 258 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,314 | 3,665 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,684 | 5,053 | 1.71 | +1,388 bearers (+37.9%) | Up 1,630 places |
| 2020 | #6,426 | 5,088 | 1.70 | +35 bearers (+0.7%) | Up 258 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 Arrieta 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 | #6,684 | #6,426 | 3.9% |
| Count | 5,053 | 5,088 | 0.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.71 | 1.70 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arrieta bearers went from 5,053 to 5,088 (+0.7% change). The surname moved up 258 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,684 to #6,426.
FAQ
Arrieta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arrieta?
Name Census estimates that about 5,835 living Americans carry the surname Arrieta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,741 residents.
How common is Arrieta?
Arrieta ranks #6,426 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,088 people with the surname Arrieta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,835), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Arrieta.
Has Arrieta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arrieta went from 5,053 recorded bearers to 5,088. That is an increase of 35 (+0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,684 to #6,426.
What does the Census say about the background of Arrieta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arrieta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.3%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Arrieta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (4,440 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arrieta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.3%), White (7.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). 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 Arrieta (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 Arrieta mean?
A Basque toponymic surname indicating someone from the town of Arrieta or a nearby stone quarry. 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 Arrieta (1.70 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 Arrieta?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.