2000
#83,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 211
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Arano
A surname of Basque origin meaning valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 455 Americans carry the last name Arano. That puts it at #55,761 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 753,306 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arano 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
455
1 in 753,306
Census rank
#55,761
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
397
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 397 bearers of the surname Arano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 55761st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%) and White (9.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arano
The surname ARANO is of Spanish origin, believed to have originated in the northern region of Spain during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Basque word "arano," meaning "valley" or "ravine," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname likely hailed from a particular valley or ravine in the Basque Country.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ARANO can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. This manuscript, dating back to the 11th century, mentions an individual named Sancho Arano, who was likely a landowner or prominent figure in the region at the time.
The ARANO surname is also closely tied to the town of Arano, located in the province of Navarre, Spain. It is believed that the town's name was derived from the same Basque word, further solidifying the connection between the surname and the geographical location.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Juan Arano was mentioned in the Fuero de Navarra, a legal code that governed the Kingdom of Navarre. Juan Arano was likely a landowner or nobleman of some significance during that period.
The ARANO surname gained further prominence in the 16th century with the birth of Juan de Arano (1516-1597), a Spanish sculptor and architect who was renowned for his work on various religious buildings and structures across Spain, including the Cathedral of Seville.
Another noteworthy individual with the ARANO surname was Pedro Arano (1570-1635), a Spanish military officer who served under King Philip III of Spain during the Eighty Years' War against the Dutch Republic. Pedro Arano was known for his bravery and leadership in several battles and campaigns.
In the 18th century, the ARANO surname was also associated with José María Arano (1738-1808), a Spanish painter and engraver who was celebrated for his religious artworks and portraits of notable figures of the time.
While the ARANO surname has its roots in Spain and the Basque region, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and historical events. However, its origins and connection to the Basque word "arano" and the valley or ravine from which the earliest bearers of this surname hailed remain a significant part of its rich history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arano
Among Census respondents with the surname Arano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%) and White (9.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Arano 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 Arano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino78.3% · 311
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.3% · 41
- White9.1% · 36
- Two or more races1.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arano
Arano 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
#54,178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 381
+170 bearers (+80.6%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 28,826 places
2020
#55,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 397
+16 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 1,583 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #83,004 | 211 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #54,178 | 381 | 0.13 | +170 bearers (+80.6%) | Up 28,826 places |
| 2020 | #55,761 | 397 | 0.13 | +16 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 1,583 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 Arano 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 | #54,178 | #55,761 | -2.9% |
| Count | 381 | 397 | 4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.13 | 2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arano bearers went from 381 to 397 (+4.2% change). The surname moved down 1,583 positions in the national ranking, going from #54,178 to #55,761.
FAQ
Arano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arano?
Name Census estimates that about 455 living Americans carry the surname Arano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 753,306 residents.
How common is Arano?
Arano ranks #55,761 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 397 people with the surname Arano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (455), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Arano.
Has Arano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arano went from 381 recorded bearers to 397. That is an increase of 16 (+4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #54,178 to #55,761.
What does the Census say about the background of Arano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%) and White (9.1%). 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 Arano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.3% (311 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (78.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%), White (9.1%). 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 Arano (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 Arano mean?
A surname of Basque origin meaning valley. 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 Arano (0.13 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 Arano?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Arano at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.