2000
#21,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,161
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Rare Last name
Arterburn
A topographic surname derived from a stream or waterway name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,228 Americans carry the last name Arterburn. That puts it at #24,366 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 279,116 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arterburn 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
1.2K
1 in 279,116
Census rank
#24,366
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,071 bearers of the surname Arterburn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24366th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arterburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arterburn
The surname Arterburn is of English origin, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from a combination of the Old English words "aeþere" meaning river or stream, and "burna" meaning a small stream or brook. This suggests that the name may have originated in an area where the bearers lived near a small river or stream.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire, dated 1327, where it appears as "Adreburn". This early variation highlights the name's evolution over time. Another early reference is found in the Assize Court Rolls of Cheshire in 1392, where it is listed as "Athirburn".
The Arterburn name has been associated with various locations in England, particularly in the counties of Staffordshire, Cheshire, and Lancashire. Some of these areas may have been the original homelands of the family, leading to the adoption of the name as a locational surname.
One notable bearer of the Arterburn name was John Arterburn, born in 1602 in Lancashire, who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the 17th century. Another historical figure was William Arterburn (1765-1842), a skilled clockmaker from Staffordshire who gained recognition for his intricate timepieces.
In the 16th century, the Arterburn family was recorded in the parish records of Prestbury, Cheshire, where several members of the family were listed as landowners and farmers. This suggests that the name had gained a foothold in the region by that time.
Other early mentions of the Arterburn name can be found in various historical documents, such as the Hearth Tax Rolls of Cheshire in the late 17th century, and the Land Tax Assessments of Lancashire in the 18th century.
While not appearing in the renowned Domesday Book, the Arterburn surname has a rich history that can be traced back to the medieval period in England. Its origins are rooted in the geographical features of the areas where the early bearers of the name resided, reflecting the importance of location in the development of many English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arterburn
Among Census respondents with the surname Arterburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Arterburn 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 Arterburn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 977
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 44
- Two or more races3.5% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arterburn
Arterburn 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
#21,524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,213
+52 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 436 places
2020
#24,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,071
-142 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Down 2,842 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,088 | 1,161 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,524 | 1,213 | 0.41 | +52 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 436 places |
| 2020 | #24,366 | 1,071 | 0.36 | -142 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 2,842 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 Arterburn 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 | #21,524 | #24,366 | -13.2% |
| Count | 1,213 | 1,071 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.41 | 0.36 | -12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arterburn bearers went from 1,213 to 1,071 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 2,842 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,524 to #24,366.
FAQ
Arterburn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arterburn?
Name Census estimates that about 1,228 living Americans carry the surname Arterburn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 279,116 residents.
How common is Arterburn?
Arterburn ranks #24,366 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,071 people with the surname Arterburn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,228), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Arterburn.
Has Arterburn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arterburn went from 1,213 recorded bearers to 1,071. That is a decrease of 142 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #21,524 to #24,366.
What does the Census say about the background of Arterburn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arterburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Arterburn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (977 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arterburn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Arterburn (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 Arterburn mean?
A topographic surname derived from a stream or waterway 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 Arterburn (0.36 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 common is the surname Arterburn?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Arterburn, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.