Aro Family History

Finnish: habitational name from farms so named or ornamental name from aro ‘hard relatively infertile ground’ or ‘wet meadow swamp’. As a hereditary surname it was established in the late 19th century chiefly in southwestern Finland and in Ostrobothnia.

As an ornamental name it was adopted during the name-changing campaigns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, especially in southern and western Finland (compare Laine).

In the US, this is also a shortened form of surnames such as Kiviaro, of which the first element is kivi ‘stone rock’. The surname Aro is also found in Estonia.

Galician: habitational name from either of two places called Aro in Galicia, Spain. This surname is very rare in Spain.

West African (Nigeria): unexplained.