2000
#81,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 217
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Arteta
A surname of Spanish origin derived from the Basque word "arteta" meaning "small valley".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 424 Americans carry the last name Arteta. That puts it at #59,100 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 808,383 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arteta 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
424
1 in 808,383
Census rank
#59,100
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
370
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 370 bearers of the surname Arteta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 59100th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arteta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.1%. The next largest groups are White (11.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arteta
The surname Arteta has its origins in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It is derived from the Basque words "arte" meaning "between" and "eta" meaning "and." The name likely originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived in a dwelling situated between two places or landmarks.
The earliest recorded instances of the Arteta surname date back to the 13th century in the province of Gipuzkoa, Spain. In a medieval census from 1278, the name "Petrus de Arteta" is mentioned, indicating that a person with this surname resided in the area during that time period.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure bearing the Arteta name was Juan de Arteta, a Basque nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the Reconquista, the centuries-long struggle to drive the Moors out of the Iberian Peninsula. He was born in 1420 in the town of Azpeitia and died in 1498.
Another notable individual with the Arteta surname was Miguel de Arteta, a 16th-century Spanish explorer and navigator. Born in 1523 in Bilbao, he accompanied Francisco de Orellana on his expedition down the Amazon River in 1541-1542, becoming one of the first Europeans to explore the region.
In the 17th century, the Arteta name appears in the annals of the Spanish Inquisition. Martín de Arteta, a merchant from San Sebastián, was accused of heresy and brought before the Inquisition in 1627. However, the records indicate that he was eventually acquitted of the charges.
An illustrious bearer of the Arteta surname was María Teresa de Arteta y Zuria, a 19th-century Spanish poet and writer. Born in 1818 in Bilbao, she was a prominent figure in the Romantic literary movement and published several collections of poetry and plays during her lifetime. She died in 1882.
Throughout history, variations of the Arteta surname have included Artetta, Arteeta, and Arteheta, reflecting the linguistic evolution and regional dialects within the Basque region. While the name is most commonly associated with Spain, it has also been found in other parts of Europe and the Americas due to migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arteta
Among Census respondents with the surname Arteta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.1%. The next largest groups are White (11.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Arteta 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 Arteta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino84.1% · 311
- White11.4% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 9
- Black or African American1.9% · 7
- Two or more races0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arteta
Arteta 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
#59,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 338
+121 bearers (+55.8%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 21,358 places
2020
#59,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 370
+32 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 642 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #81,100 | 217 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #59,742 | 338 | 0.11 | +121 bearers (+55.8%) | Up 21,358 places |
| 2020 | #59,100 | 370 | 0.12 | +32 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 642 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 Arteta 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 | #59,742 | #59,100 | 1.1% |
| Count | 338 | 370 | 9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.12 | 12.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arteta bearers went from 338 to 370 (+9.5% change). The surname moved up 642 positions in the national ranking, going from #59,742 to #59,100.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Arteta
FAQ
Arteta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arteta?
Name Census estimates that about 424 living Americans carry the surname Arteta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 808,383 residents.
How common is Arteta?
Arteta ranks #59,100 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 370 people with the surname Arteta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (424), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Arteta.
Has Arteta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arteta went from 338 recorded bearers to 370. That is an increase of 32 (+9.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #59,742 to #59,100.
What does the Census say about the background of Arteta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arteta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.1%. The next largest groups are White (11.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%). 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 Arteta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.1% (311 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arteta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (84.1%), White (11.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%). 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 Arteta (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 Arteta mean?
A surname of Spanish origin derived from the Basque word "arteta" meaning "small 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 Arteta (0.12 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 Arteta?
Find out how common the surname Arteta is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.