Explore the Family Name Arey
The meaning of Arey
1. English: variant of Airey. 2. Variant of Avery. 3. Americanized form of German Erich or Ihrig. Compare Airey. History: Richard Arey was in Salisbury, MA, in 1646. By 1652 he was in Martha’s Vineyard, where he drowned in 1669. — William Arey, who died in Boston in 1687, was in Dedham, MA, in 1650. In this case at least, the name is probably a variant of Avery. — In the Shenandoah Valley of VA the name Arey is probably of German origin (compare Airey). — The Arey family of Rowan County, NC, are descended from Peter Ihrig, who arrived in Philadelphia, PA, in 1749. His place of origin was probably near Mosbach on the Neckar river in Baden, Germany. At some time before 1757 he arrived in NC, where his and his children’s surname was spelled Eary, and by the next generation, Arey.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Arey in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Arey saw a decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Arey ranked 16,525th in popularity and dipped to 19,379th in the 2010 census, marking a drop of 17.27%. The count of people with this surname also decreased from 1,601 in 2000 to 1,395 in 2010, a reduction of 12.87%. Consequently, the proportion of individuals with the Arey surname per 100,000 fell by 20.34%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #16,525 | #19,379 | -17.27% |
| Count | 1,601 | 1,395 | -12.87% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.59 | 0.47 | -20.34% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Arey
When examining the ethnic identity of those with the Arey surname, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some changes between 2000 and 2010. The portion identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander fell by 42.53% while those identifying as White dropped slightly by 1.17%. On the other hand, there were increases in several categories. Those identifying as having two or more races rose by 15.18%, individuals identifying as Black increased by 10.06%, and an increase was seen among those identifying as Hispanic (29.96%) and American Indian and Alaskan Native (32.00%).
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 92.69% | 91.61% | -1.17% |
| Hispanic | 2.37% | 3.08% | 29.96% |
| Black | 1.69% | 1.86% | 10.06% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.25% | 1.65% | 32% |
| Two or More Races | 1.12% | 1.29% | 15.18% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.87% | 0.5% | -42.53% |