2000
#9,814
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,042
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Alcazar
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to a person who lived near a fortress or castle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,774 Americans carry the last name Alcazar. That puts it at #7,670 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,796 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alcazar 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
4.8K
1 in 71,796
Census rank
#7,670
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,163 bearers of the surname Alcazar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7670th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alcazar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%) and White (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alcazar
The surname Alcazar originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Arabic word "al-qasr," meaning "the castle" or "the palace." This reflects the Moorish influence on Spanish culture and language during the era of Islamic rule in parts of the Iberian Peninsula.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Alcazar can be found in the Libro de Repartimiento, a 13th-century document that recorded the distribution of land and property in the region of Seville after the Christian reconquest. In this record, the name appears as "Alcaçar," reflecting the spelling variations common during that time.
The name Alcazar is also associated with the famous Alcázar of Seville, a royal palace that dates back to the 10th century and was originally built as a fortified residence for the Moorish rulers. This historic landmark likely contributed to the popularity of the surname in the region.
Among the notable individuals who bore the surname Alcazar throughout history are:
1. Juan de Alcázar (c. 1500-1572), a Spanish military officer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés.
2. Baltasar del Alcázar (1530-1606), a renowned Spanish poet and humanist of the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
3. Andrés de Alcázar (1555-1612), a Spanish sculptor and architect who worked on several cathedrals and churches in Seville and surrounding areas.
4. Pedro de Alcázar Arriaza (1615-1676), a Spanish painter and engraver known for his religious artwork and portraits.
5. Jerónimo de Alcázar (1647-1710), a Spanish military engineer and architect who designed fortifications and buildings in various cities across Spain and the Americas.
The surname Alcazar also has variations and similar spellings in other languages, such as Alcácer in Portuguese and Alcazer in French, reflecting the linguistic and cultural exchanges that occurred during the medieval period and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alcazar
Among Census respondents with the surname Alcazar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%) and White (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Alcazar 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 Alcazar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.3% · 3,677
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.2% · 215
- White5.0% · 209
- Two or more races0.8% · 32
- Black or African American0.6% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alcazar
Alcazar appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#7,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,219
+1,177 bearers (+38.7%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Up 1,967 places
2020
#7,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,163
-56 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Up 177 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,814 | 3,042 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,847 | 4,219 | 1.43 | +1,177 bearers (+38.7%) | Up 1,967 places |
| 2020 | #7,670 | 4,163 | 1.39 | -56 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 177 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 Alcazar 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 | #7,847 | #7,670 | 2.3% |
| Count | 4,219 | 4,163 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 1.39 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alcazar bearers went from 4,219 to 4,163 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 177 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,847 to #7,670.
FAQ
Alcazar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alcazar?
Name Census estimates that about 4,774 living Americans carry the surname Alcazar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,796 residents.
How common is Alcazar?
Alcazar ranks #7,670 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,163 people with the surname Alcazar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,774), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Alcazar.
Has Alcazar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alcazar went from 4,219 recorded bearers to 4,163. That is a decrease of 56 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,847 to #7,670.
What does the Census say about the background of Alcazar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alcazar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%) and White (5.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Alcazar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (3,677 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alcazar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%), White (5.0%). 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 Alcazar (2000, 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 Alcazar mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to a person who lived near a fortress or castle. 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 Alcazar (1.39 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 Alcazar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.