2000
#8,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,433
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Arzola
A Basque habitational surname indicating a person from Arzola, a place in Gipuzkoa, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,111 Americans carry the last name Arzola. That puts it at #7,222 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,062 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arzola 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 67,062
Census rank
#7,222
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,457 bearers of the surname Arzola in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7222nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arzola, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arzola
The surname Arzola has its origins in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It likely derives from the Basque word "arzola," which means "sheepfold" or "sheepfold in the mountains." This suggests that the name may have originated from an area known for shepherding or sheep farming.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the late 15th century in the town of Larraun, located in the province of Navarre, Spain. A document from 1492 mentions a person named Juan de Arzola, who was a landowner in the region.
In the 16th century, the Arzola name can be found in several historical records from the Basque Country. For instance, a census from the town of Oiartzun in 1568 lists a household headed by Martin de Arzola.
During the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Spain and even to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. In 1623, a man named Pedro de Arzola was recorded as a resident of Havana, Cuba.
One notable figure with the surname Arzola was Francisco de Arzola, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Chile in the mid-16th century. He was born around 1520 in the Basque region and served under the command of Pedro de Valdivia.
Another prominent individual was Juan Bautista Arzola, a Spanish-born Catholic priest who lived in the late 18th century. He served as a missionary in New Spain (present-day Mexico) and worked to convert indigenous populations to Christianity.
In the 19th century, a man named José María Arzola played a role in the Mexican War of Independence. He was a military officer who fought against the Spanish colonial forces and later served in the Mexican army after the country gained its independence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Arzola name in the United States dates back to the late 19th century. A man named Antonio Arzola, born in Spain in 1857, immigrated to the United States and settled in New York City.
While the surname Arzola is not extremely common, it can still be found among individuals of Spanish and Hispanic descent, particularly those with roots in the Basque region or connections to the early Spanish settlements in the Americas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arzola
Among Census respondents with the surname Arzola, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Arzola 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 Arzola surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.9% · 4,140
- White5.9% · 264
- Black or African American0.4% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 19
- Two or more races0.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arzola
Arzola 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
#7,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,669
+1,236 bearers (+36.0%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 1,625 places
2020
#7,222
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,457
-212 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,789 | 3,433 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,164 | 4,669 | 1.58 | +1,236 bearers (+36.0%) | Up 1,625 places |
| 2020 | #7,222 | 4,457 | 1.49 | -212 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 58 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 Arzola 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 | #7,164 | #7,222 | -0.8% |
| Count | 4,669 | 4,457 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.58 | 1.49 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arzola bearers went from 4,669 to 4,457 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,164 to #7,222.
FAQ
Arzola surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arzola?
Name Census estimates that about 5,111 living Americans carry the surname Arzola. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,062 residents.
How common is Arzola?
Arzola ranks #7,222 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.49 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 4,457 people with the surname Arzola. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.49 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 Arzola.
Has Arzola become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arzola went from 4,669 recorded bearers to 4,457. That is a decrease of 212 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,164 to #7,222.
What does the Census say about the background of Arzola?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arzola, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.9%) and Black (0.4%). 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 Arzola in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (4,140 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arzola appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.9%), White (5.9%), Black (0.4%). 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 Arzola (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 Arzola mean?
A Basque habitational surname indicating a person from Arzola, a place in Gipuzkoa, Spain. 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 Arzola (1.49 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 Arzola?
If you just want to know how many people are called Arzola, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.