2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Arzapalo
A Spanish surname meaning "oak tree" or "live oak."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Arzapalo. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arzapalo 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Arzapalo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arzapalo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arzapalo
The surname "ARZAPALO" is believed to have originated in Spain, likely during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish words "arza" and "palo," which translate to "linden tree" and "stick" or "rod," respectively. This combination suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a person who lived near or worked with linden trees, possibly as a woodcutter or a carpenter.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century manuscript documenting the hunting grounds and estates of King Alfonso XI of Castile. The name "Arzapalo" is mentioned in this text, indicating its presence in the region during that time.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various parish records and census documents from the Spanish provinces of Andalusia and Extremadura. Notably, a certain Juan Arzapalo, born in 1532 in Seville, is recorded as a prominent merchant and landowner.
As the centuries progressed, the Arzapalo family spread across the Iberian Peninsula and beyond. In the 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the Spanish territories of the Americas, with records showing an Ignacio Arzapalo, born in 1721 in Havana, Cuba, who later became a respected military officer.
Another notable figure bearing the Arzapalo surname was María Arzapalo, a 19th-century writer and poet from Madrid, born in 1812. Her collection of romantic poems, "Versos del Corazón" (Verses from the Heart), was widely acclaimed during her lifetime.
In the 20th century, the name gained further recognition with the accomplishments of Manuel Arzapalo, a Spanish architect born in 1905 in Barcelona. His most famous work, the Arzapalo Residence in Seville, is considered a masterpiece of modern Spanish architecture.
While the surname Arzapalo is not as common as some others, it has maintained a presence throughout history, with individuals from various professions and backgrounds bearing this distinctive name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arzapalo
Among Census respondents with the surname Arzapalo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Arzapalo 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 Arzapalo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.2% · 100
- White4.8% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arzapalo
Arzapalo appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,723 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 6,723 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 Arzapalo 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 | #159,712 | #152,989 | 4.2% |
| Count | 101 | 105 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arzapalo bearers went from 101 to 105 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 6,723 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #152,989.
FAQ
Arzapalo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arzapalo?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Arzapalo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Arzapalo?
Arzapalo ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Arzapalo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Arzapalo.
Has Arzapalo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arzapalo went from 101 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 4 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Arzapalo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arzapalo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%). 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 Arzapalo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arzapalo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.2%), White (4.8%). 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 Arzapalo (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 Arzapalo mean?
A Spanish surname meaning "oak tree" or "live oak." 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 Arzapalo (0.04 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 have the surname Arzapalo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.