2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Alcain
A Basque surname derived from the village of Altzain, meaning "bramble" or "briar patch."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Alcain. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alcain 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Alcain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alcain, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (17.3%) and Hispanic (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alcain
The surname Alcain is of Spanish origin, originating from the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. The name is believed to have derived from the Basque word "alka," which means "oak" or "oak tree." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked with oak trees, or perhaps a place name associated with oak trees.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Alcain can be traced back to the late 15th century in various Spanish and Basque records. One notable example is Juan Alcain, a merchant from the town of Bilbao who was documented in shipping records from the year 1487. Historical records also mention a noble family with the surname Alcain residing in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa during the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name appears in several Spanish manuscripts and documents, including the birth records of Pedro Alcain, born in Madrid in 1621. During this time, variations in spelling, such as "Alcayn" and "Alcayne," were also commonly seen.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Ignacio Alcain, a Spanish soldier who fought in the Battle of Almansa during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1707. He was commended for his bravery and later settled in the town of Alcalá de Henares, where the surname may have derived from a local place name.
Another notable figure was María Alcain, a renowned painter from the Basque region who lived from 1745 to 1812. Her works were widely celebrated and are still displayed in various art galleries across Spain.
In the 19th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Joaquín Alcain y Ferrer, a prominent Spanish politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Spanish Parliament from 1863 to 1879.
While the surname Alcain is not as common as some other Spanish surnames, it has a rich history and cultural significance, particularly in the Basque region and parts of northern Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alcain
Among Census respondents with the surname Alcain, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (17.3%) and Hispanic (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Alcain 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 Alcain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander72.1% · 75
- Two or more races17.3% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 6
- White4.8% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alcain
Alcain appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 962 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 962 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 Alcain 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 | #152,628 | #153,590 | -0.6% |
| Count | 107 | 104 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alcain bearers went from 107 to 104 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 962 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #153,590.
FAQ
Alcain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alcain?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Alcain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Alcain?
Alcain ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Alcain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Alcain.
Has Alcain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alcain went from 107 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Alcain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alcain, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (17.3%) and Hispanic (5.8%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Alcain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.1% (75 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alcain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (72.1%), Two or More Races (17.3%), Hispanic (5.8%). 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 Alcain (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 Alcain mean?
A Basque surname derived from the village of Altzain, meaning "bramble" or "briar patch." 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 Alcain (0.03 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 people share the surname Alcain?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.