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

Arce, 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 Arce surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arce in America

Arce is the 1844th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arce surname appeared 19,464 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Arce.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arce 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 Arce

The surname ARCE is of Spanish origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "arce," which means "maple tree." The name likely originated as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived near a maple tree or a place where maple trees grew abundantly.

The earliest recorded instances of the ARCE surname can be found in historical documents from Spain and parts of Latin America that were colonized by the Spanish. One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a cartulary from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in the province of La Rioja, Spain, dating back to the 12th century.

In the 15th century, the name ARCE was associated with a prominent Spanish family from the town of Arce, located in the province of Navarra. This family played a significant role in the regional politics and military campaigns of the time. One notable member was Juan de Arce (c. 1440-1508), a Spanish soldier and diplomat who served as the ambassador of the Catholic Monarchs to the Republic of Venice.

Another early recorded instance of the ARCE surname can be found in the Archivo General de Indias, a collection of historical documents from the Spanish colonial era in the Americas. One such document mentions Pedro de Arce, a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 16th century.

In the 17th century, the ARCE surname was prominent in the Viceroyalty of Peru, with several individuals bearing this name holding important positions in the colonial administration. One notable figure was Diego de Arce y Reinoso (c. 1600-1666), a Spanish-born priest who served as the Bishop of Cusco and played a crucial role in the religious and cultural affairs of the region.

During the 18th century, the ARCE surname was also found among the Criollo elite of New Spain (modern-day Mexico). José Joaquín de Arce y Fagoaga (1726-1795) was a wealthy landowner and politician who served as the Mayor of Mexico City from 1783 to 1786.

As the Spanish Empire expanded and colonies were established in various parts of the Americas, the ARCE surname spread to other regions, where it continued to be associated with individuals of Spanish descent. Over time, the name took on different regional variations and spellings, such as Arze, Arse, and Arces, reflecting local linguistic and cultural influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arce

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!