How common is the surname Arnold?

138,893 people in the United States had the surname Arnold in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,223 Americans. It ranked 201st of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Arnold?

Graham Arnold, Australian association football player and coach, followed by Benedict Arnold.

Where is the surname Arnold most common?

Wikidata records people named Arnold in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 3 other countries.

How do you pronounce Arnold?

Arnold is /ˈɑɹnəld/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Arnold getting more or less common?

More common. 136,315 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 138,893 in 2010, up 1.9%.

Is Arnold also a first name?

Yes. Arnold is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Arnold

A patronymic surname, carried by 138,893 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈɑɹnəld/ 2 syllables Soundex A654 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Arnold is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

From a French version of a Germanic name, from Proto-West Germanic *Arnuwald, from Proto-Germanic *arô (“eagle”) + *waldą (“power”). For the first part of the word doublet of erne, ornis, and ornitho-. Compare the Latin male given name and cognomen Aquila, and female given name Aquilīna (whence Russian Акули́на (Akulína)), related to aquila (whence eagle).

Arnold is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 138,893 people named Arnold in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,223 Americans. That is up 1.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 136,315.

#201

rank among US surnames

138,893

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+1.9%

change since 2000 (was #187)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#192	Weaver	143,837	2,146
#193	Ryan	143,452	2,152
#194	Gardner	142,894	2,161
#195	Payne	142,601	2,165
#196	Grant	142,277	2,170
#197	Dunn	141,427	2,183
#198	Kelley	140,693	2,194

Who is named Arnold

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

81% of people named Arnold identified as white (not Hispanic), 13% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 81%
Black (not Hispanic) 13%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.4%
Two or more races 1.9%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Arnolds

46 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Graham Arnold
Australian association football player and coach, born 1963
Benedict Arnold
Army officer who betrayed America to the British during the Revolutionary War (1740–1801)
Henry H. Arnold
American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and General of the Air F, 1886–1950
Tom Arnold
American stand-up comedian and actor (born 1959)
Richard R. Arnold
American educator and astronaut, born 1963
Edward Arnold
American actor (1890-1956)
Jack Arnold
American director (1916–1992)
Brad Arnold
American singer (1978–2026)
Tichina Arnold
American actress, born 1969
Eddy Arnold
American country music singer, songwriter (1918–2008)
Eve Arnold
American photojournalist (1913–2012)
Virginie Arnold
Archer, born 1979

Notable Arnolds come mostly from the United States (35), Australia (4) and the United Kingdom (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Ahnold

Surnames that sound like Arnold

Arnall

Arnold has the Soundex code A654, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code A654.

Questions

Where does the surname Arnold come from?: From a French version of a Germanic name, from Proto-West Germanic *Arnuwald, from Proto-Germanic *arô (“eagle”) + *waldą (“power”). For the first part of the word doublet of erne, ornis, and ornitho-. Compare the Latin male given name and cognomen Aquila, and female given name Aquilīna (whence…
How common is the surname Arnold?: 138,893 people in the United States had the surname Arnold in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,223 Americans. It ranked 201st of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Arnold?: In the 2010 Census, 81% of people named Arnold identified as white (not Hispanic), and 13% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Arnold?: Graham Arnold, Australian association football player and coach, followed by Benedict Arnold.
Where is the surname Arnold most common?: Wikidata records people named Arnold in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 3 other countries.
How do you pronounce Arnold?: Arnold is /ˈɑɹnəld/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Arnold?: Arnold is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Arnold getting more or less common?: More common. 136,315 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 138,893 in 2010, up 1.9%.
What are other spellings of Arnold?: Ahnold.
Is Arnold also a first name?: Yes. Arnold is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.