Find out how popular the last name Alcalde is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Alcalde.

Alcalde, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Alcalde surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alcalde in America

Alcalde is the 32834th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alcalde surname appeared 699 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Alcalde.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alcalde to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Alcalde

The surname Alcalde has its origins in Spain, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Spanish word "alcalde," which literally means "mayor" or "magistrate." It traces its linguistic roots back to the Arabic word "al-qadi," meaning "the judge."

Historically, the Alcalde surname was associated with individuals who held positions of authority and governance within local municipalities or villages. During the Reconquista, when Christian kingdoms gradually reclaimed territories from the Moors, many towns and villages appointed individuals known as "alcaldes" to oversee administrative and judicial matters.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Alcalde surname can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 11th century. This document mentions a certain Rodrigo Alcalde, who was a prominent figure in the region of La Rioja.

In the 13th century, during the reign of King Alfonso X of Castile, there are records of an individual named Gonzalo Alcalde, who served as a magistrate in the city of Seville. His descendants continued to use the Alcalde surname, and some of them went on to hold important positions in the local government.

Another notable figure with the Alcalde surname was Diego Alcalde, born in 1490 in the town of Guadix, Granada. He was a renowned scholar and humanist who contributed significantly to the study of Arabic literature and culture during the Renaissance period.

In the 16th century, the Alcalde surname was also found in the Americas, as some individuals bearing this name accompanied the Spanish conquistadors and settlers. One such individual was Juan Alcalde, who was born in 1520 in Seville and later became a prominent landowner in the viceroyalty of New Spain (present-day Mexico).

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Alcalde surname continued to be associated with individuals involved in local governance and judiciary roles. For instance, Tomás Alcalde (1625-1689) was a notable jurist and magistrate in the city of Valladolid, while Juana Alcalde (1702-1784) was a respected magistrate in the town of Alcalá de Henares.

Throughout its history, the Alcalde surname has been linked to various place names, such as Alcalde de la Vega, Alcalde de los Donceles, and Alcalde de los Reales Alcázares, which further reinforced its connection to positions of authority and governance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alcalde

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Alcalde.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Alcalde was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Alcalde has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Alcalde was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Alcalde, please contact us.

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