2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Arcaina
An archaic surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a Spanish place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Arcaina. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arcaina 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Arcaina in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arcaina, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and White (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arcaina
The surname Arcaina has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Aragon and Catalonia in northeastern Spain. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Catalan word "arcaina," which means "clayey soil" or "muddy terrain."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Arcaina can be found in the "Llibre del Repartiment," a historical document that details the distribution of land and property in the Kingdom of Valencia after the Christian conquest in the 13th century. This document mentions individuals with the surname Arcaina, indicating their presence in the region during that time.
The name Arcaina is also found in various medieval manuscripts and records from the regions of Aragon and Catalonia. For example, the "Llibre de Privilegis de la Vila de Tàrrega," a book of privileges granted to the town of Tàrrega in Catalonia, includes references to individuals with the surname Arcaina from the 14th century.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Arcaina throughout history are:
1. Jaume Arcaina (c. 1320 - 1390), a renowned Catalan poet and scholar known for his contributions to the development of Catalan literature during the Renaissance period.
2. Pere Arcaina (c. 1450 - 1518), a prominent merchant and landowner from the city of Valencia, who played a significant role in the economic and political affairs of the region during the late 15th century.
3. Beatriu Arcaina (c. 1525 - 1598), a noblewoman and philanthropist from the town of Fraga in Aragon, who founded a hospital and several charitable institutions in the region.
4. Miquel Arcaina (c. 1670 - 1735), a Catalan painter and sculptor renowned for his religious artwork, particularly the altarpieces he created for churches and monasteries in Barcelona and the surrounding areas.
5. Francesc Arcaina (c. 1780 - 1844), a military officer and statesman from Catalonia, who served in the Spanish Army during the Napoleonic Wars and later held political positions in the Spanish government.
The surname Arcaina has been associated with various place names and locations throughout the regions of Aragon and Catalonia, such as the town of Arcaina in the province of Huesca, and the village of Arcaina in the province of Teruel. These place names likely derived from the same root word as the surname, indicating the presence of clayey or muddy terrain in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arcaina
Among Census respondents with the surname Arcaina, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and White (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Arcaina 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 Arcaina surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.4% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- White0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arcaina
Arcaina 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+6 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,497 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.9%) | Up 7,497 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 Arcaina 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 | #158,432 | #150,935 | 4.7% |
| Count | 102 | 108 | 5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arcaina bearers went from 102 to 108 (+5.9% change). The surname moved up 7,497 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #150,935.
FAQ
Arcaina surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arcaina?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Arcaina. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Arcaina?
Arcaina ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 108 people with the surname Arcaina. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Arcaina.
Has Arcaina become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arcaina went from 102 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 6 (+5.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Arcaina?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arcaina, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and White (0.9%). 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 Arcaina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arcaina appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.4%), Hispanic (3.7%), White (0.9%). 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 Arcaina (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 Arcaina mean?
An archaic surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a Spanish place name or occupation. 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 Arcaina (0.04 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 have the last name Arcaina?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Arcaina is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.