2000
#6,873
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,509
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.67
Rare Last name
Arrowood
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a row or grove of arrow-shaped trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,065 Americans carry the last name Arrowood. That puts it at #7,276 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,671 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arrowood 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
5.1K
1 in 67,671
Census rank
#7,276
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,417 bearers of the surname Arrowood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7276th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arrowood, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arrowood
The surname Arrowood is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Yorkshire. The name is derived from the Old English words "arwe" meaning arrow and "wudu" meaning wood, suggesting that the original bearer of this name may have lived near an area known for being a source of wood used for making arrows.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arrowood can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was spelled as "Arewude." This entry suggests that the name was already in use during the 11th century in parts of Yorkshire.
In the 13th century, various spellings of the name appeared in historical records, such as "Arewoode" and "Arrowode," reflecting the evolution of the English language over time.
One notable individual with the surname Arrowood was John Arrowood, a yeoman farmer who lived in the village of Thornton, Yorkshire, in the late 15th century. Records from that time period mention his involvement in local land disputes.
Another individual of historical significance was Elizabeth Arrowood, born in 1632 in the village of Ampleforth, Yorkshire. She was a prominent member of the local Quaker community and played a role in the establishment of one of the earliest Quaker meeting houses in the area.
In the 18th century, the surname Arrowood appeared in various parish records across Yorkshire, indicating that the name had spread to different parts of the county.
One of the earliest documented instances of the surname Arrowood in North America can be traced back to William Arrowood, who arrived in Virginia from England in the late 17th century. He later settled in the Appalachian region and established a homestead that remained in the family for several generations.
Another notable individual was Samuel Arrowood, born in 1756 in Yorkshire, England. He served as a lieutenant in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War and later immigrated to Canada after the conflict ended.
Throughout the 19th century, the surname Arrowood continued to be found in various historical records and documents, both in England and in the United States, where many families with this surname had settled after emigrating from their ancestral homeland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arrowood
Among Census respondents with the surname Arrowood, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Arrowood 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 Arrowood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 4,058
- Two or more races4.7% · 209
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 23
- Black or African American0.5% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arrowood
Arrowood 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
#7,143
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,681
+172 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 270 places
2020
#7,276
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,417
-264 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Down 133 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,873 | 4,509 | 1.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,143 | 4,681 | 1.59 | +172 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 270 places |
| 2020 | #7,276 | 4,417 | 1.48 | -264 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 133 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 Arrowood 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 | #7,143 | #7,276 | -1.9% |
| Count | 4,681 | 4,417 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.48 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arrowood bearers went from 4,681 to 4,417 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 133 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,143 to #7,276.
FAQ
Arrowood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arrowood?
Name Census estimates that about 5,065 living Americans carry the surname Arrowood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,671 residents.
How common is Arrowood?
Arrowood ranks #7,276 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.48 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 4,417 people with the surname Arrowood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,065), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.48 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 Arrowood.
Has Arrowood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arrowood went from 4,681 recorded bearers to 4,417. That is a decrease of 264 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,143 to #7,276.
What does the Census say about the background of Arrowood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arrowood, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Arrowood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (4,058 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arrowood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Arrowood (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 Arrowood mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a row or grove of arrow-shaped trees. 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 Arrowood (1.48 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 are called Arrowood?
See how many people are called Arrowood on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.