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

Alcaras, 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 Alcaras surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alcaras in America

Alcaras is the 85049th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alcaras surname appeared 220 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 Alcaras.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alcaras 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 Alcaras

The surname Alcaras originated in Portugal during the 15th century. It is derived from the Arabic word "al-qaras," which means "the watchtower" or "the fortified place." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or worked at a watchtower or fortified location.

Alcaras is believed to have first appeared in the region of Algarve, located in southern Portugal. The name may have been influenced by the Moorish presence in this area during the Reconquista, the period when Christian kingdoms regained control of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alcaras can be found in a deed from the year 1492, which mentions a landowner named Joao Alcaras. This document is currently housed in the archives of the University of Coimbra, one of the oldest universities in Portugal.

During the 16th century, the Alcaras family seems to have spread throughout Portugal and its colonies. In 1567, a merchant named Rodrigo Alcaras is mentioned in records from the Portuguese settlement of Goa, located in present-day India.

A notable individual with the surname Alcaras was Pero Alcaras, a Portuguese explorer born in 1512. He was part of the expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan, which completed the first circumnavigation of the globe between 1519 and 1522. Alcaras served as a navigator on this historic voyage.

Another prominent figure was Beatriz Alcaras, a 16th-century poet and writer from Lisbon. Her collection of poems, "Cancioneiro de Alcaras," published in 1587, is considered one of the earliest works of Portuguese literature written by a woman.

In the 18th century, Manuel Alcaras (1724-1798) was a renowned architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Portugal, including the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição in Évora.

During the 19th century, the Alcaras name was associated with the Portuguese colonial presence in Africa. Joao Baptista Alcaras (1832-1901) was a military officer and administrator who served as the governor of Portuguese Angola from 1890 to 1892.

While the surname Alcaras has its roots in Portugal, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Portuguese exploration and colonization. Despite its geographical spread, the name remains closely tied to its Portuguese origins and the rich history of the Iberian Peninsula.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alcaras

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

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 Alcaras 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 Alcaras 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 Alcaras was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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