Find out how popular the last name Arrington is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Arrington.

Arrington, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Arrington surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arrington in America

Arrington is the 1573rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arrington surname appeared 22,840 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Arrington.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arrington to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Arrington

The surname Arrington originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English words "arrun" meaning arrow and "tun" meaning enclosure or settlement, referring to a place where arrows were made or sold. The name was initially a locational surname, indicating that the bearer hailed from a particular place associated with arrow-making or trading.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Arunetone" in reference to a settlement in Berkshire. This suggests that the name had already been established by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as "Aruntun," "Arrington," and "Arington" in various historical records and documents. The earliest known bearer of the name was William de Arrington, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1230.

During the late Middle Ages, the Arrington family became prominent landowners in Cambridgeshire. Sir Michael Arrington (c. 1470-1545) was a notable member of the family, serving as a Member of Parliament and holding several manors in the county.

In the 16th century, the name spread to other parts of England, including Gloucestershire and Warwickshire. Robert Arrington (1510-1588) was a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, while Edmund Arrington (1558-1631) was a renowned clergyman and author from Warwickshire.

In the 17th century, the Arrington name gained prominence in Virginia, where several members of the family settled and became influential figures. William Arrington (1629-1703) was one of the earliest settlers in the colony and a prominent landowner in Henrico County.

Another notable bearer of the name was John Arrington (1712-1786), a planter and Revolutionary War patriot from Dinwiddie County, Virginia, who served as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Virginia Convention of 1776.

As the name spread across different regions, various place names and spellings emerged, such as Arrington in Cambridgeshire, Arrington Bridge in Yorkshire, and Arrington Hall in Northamptonshire, reflecting the diverse origins and settlements associated with the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arrington

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Arrington.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Arrington was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Arrington has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Arrington was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Arrington, please contact us.

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