2000
#833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,678
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.97
Uncommon Last name
Arroyo
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a stream or brook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 57,139 Americans carry the last name Arroyo. That puts it at #666 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,999 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arroyo 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
57K
1 in 5,999
Census rank
#666
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
16.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
50K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 49,828 bearers of the surname Arroyo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 666th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arroyo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arroyo
The surname Arroyo is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "arroyo," which means a small stream or brook. The name likely originated in Spain during the Middle Ages, when surnames began to be adopted.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Arroyo can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Spain, such as Andalusia, Castile, and Aragon. It is believed that the name was initially given to individuals who lived near or owned land near a small stream or brook.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Arroyo was Pedro Arroyo, a prominent Spanish nobleman who lived in the late 13th century. He is mentioned in several historical documents from the time, including land records and legal documents.
In the 15th century, the surname Arroyo appears in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, where several individuals with this name were persecuted for their religious beliefs. One notable figure from this period was Juan Arroyo, a Jewish convert to Christianity who was tried and executed by the Inquisition in 1492.
During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, many individuals with the surname Arroyo emigrated to the New World. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the Americas is that of Diego Arroyo, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century.
Another notable figure with the surname Arroyo was Gaspar Arroyo, a Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the Pacific Northwest in the late 18th century. He is credited with mapping and charting several areas of the Pacific Coast.
In the 19th century, the surname Arroyo became more widespread throughout Latin America, particularly in countries such as Mexico, Argentina, and Chile. One prominent individual with this name was Ramón Arroyo, a Mexican military leader and politician who served as the Governor of the state of Guanajuato in the mid-19th century.
Over the centuries, the surname Arroyo has been associated with various professions and fields, including agriculture, military service, politics, and the arts. Some notable individuals with this surname include the Mexican painter Jesús Arroyo (1881-1954), the Chilean writer and poet Víctor Arroyo (1904-1983), and the Argentine footballer Norberto Arroyo (born 1949).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arroyo
Among Census respondents with the surname Arroyo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Arroyo 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 Arroyo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.1% · 45,902
- White5.3% · 2,621
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 668
- Black or African American0.8% · 377
- Two or more races0.4% · 184
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 76
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arroyo
Arroyo 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
#678
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,614
+12,936 bearers (+34.3%)
Per 100,000 17.16
Rank movement Up 155 places
2020
#666
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,828
-786 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 16.67
Rank movement Up 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #833 | 37,678 | 13.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #678 | 50,614 | 17.16 | +12,936 bearers (+34.3%) | Up 155 places |
| 2020 | #666 | 49,828 | 16.67 | -786 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 12 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 Arroyo 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 | #678 | #666 | 1.8% |
| Count | 50,614 | 49,828 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 17.16 | 16.67 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arroyo bearers went from 50,614 to 49,828 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #678 to #666.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Arroyo
FAQ
Arroyo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arroyo?
Name Census estimates that about 57,139 living Americans carry the surname Arroyo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,999 residents.
How common is Arroyo?
Arroyo ranks #666 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 17 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 49,828 people with the surname Arroyo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (57,139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 17 of them to have the surname Arroyo.
Has Arroyo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arroyo went from 50,614 recorded bearers to 49,828. That is a decrease of 786 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #678 to #666.
What does the Census say about the background of Arroyo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arroyo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Arroyo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (45,902 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arroyo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.1%), White (5.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Arroyo (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 Arroyo mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a stream or brook. 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 Arroyo (16.67 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 Americans have the surname Arroyo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.