2000
#5,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,428
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.01
Rare Last name
Arceneaux
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "sandy water" or "sandy valley."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,362 Americans carry the last name Arceneaux. That puts it at #5,974 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,875 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arceneaux 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
6.4K
1 in 53,875
Census rank
#5,974
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,548 bearers of the surname Arceneaux in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5974th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arceneaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.5%. The next largest groups are Black (36.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arceneaux
The surname Arceneaux has its origins in the Acadian region of Canada, specifically in the area that is now known as Nova Scotia. The name is believed to have originated from the French word "arceneau," which means "arched bridge" or "arched entrance." This suggests that the name may have been originally associated with a location or feature related to an arched bridge or entrance.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Arceneaux can be traced back to the late 17th century, when French settlers from the Acadian region began to establish communities in various parts of North America. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Pierre Arceneaux, who was born in Acadia around 1670 and later settled in Louisiana after the expulsion of the Acadians from Canada.
In the 18th century, the Arceneaux family played a significant role in the development of the Acadiana region of Louisiana. Jean-Baptiste Arceneaux (1721-1793) was a prominent figure in the Acadian resistance against the British during the Acadian expulsion, and his descendants went on to become influential landowners and community leaders in the area.
Another notable individual with the surname Arceneaux was Edmond J. Arceneaux (1872-1950), a Louisiana politician who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana from 1916 to 1920. He was a vocal advocate for the French language and Acadian culture in the state.
In the field of literature, Sidonie de la Houssaye Arceneaux (1860-1914) was a celebrated novelist and poet from Louisiana, known for her contributions to the Acadian literary tradition. Her works often explored themes of Acadian heritage and identity.
The Arceneaux surname has also been associated with several notable figures in the realm of sports. Joseph "Beau" Arceneaux (1910-1978) was a professional baseball player who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1930s, while Lance Arceneaux (born 1978) is a former professional football player who played in the National Football League.
While the surname Arceneaux is most commonly found in Louisiana and other parts of the southern United States, it has also been documented in various other regions, including Canada and France, reflecting the dispersal of Acadian communities and the influence of French colonization in different parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arceneaux
Among Census respondents with the surname Arceneaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.5%. The next largest groups are Black (36.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Arceneaux 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 Arceneaux surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.5% · 3,081
- Black or African American36.9% · 2,049
- Two or more races3.8% · 212
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 170
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arceneaux
Arceneaux 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
#5,924
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,818
+390 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Down 86 places
2020
#5,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,548
-270 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.86
Rank movement Down 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,838 | 5,428 | 2.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,924 | 5,818 | 1.97 | +390 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 86 places |
| 2020 | #5,974 | 5,548 | 1.86 | -270 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 50 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 Arceneaux 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 | #5,924 | #5,974 | -0.8% |
| Count | 5,818 | 5,548 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.97 | 1.86 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arceneaux bearers went from 5,818 to 5,548 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,924 to #5,974.
FAQ
Arceneaux surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arceneaux?
Name Census estimates that about 6,362 living Americans carry the surname Arceneaux. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,875 residents.
How common is Arceneaux?
Arceneaux ranks #5,974 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,548 people with the surname Arceneaux. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,362), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Arceneaux.
Has Arceneaux become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arceneaux went from 5,818 recorded bearers to 5,548. That is a decrease of 270 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,924 to #5,974.
What does the Census say about the background of Arceneaux?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arceneaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.5%. The next largest groups are Black (36.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Arceneaux in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.5% (3,081 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arceneaux appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.5%), Black (36.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Arceneaux (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 Arceneaux mean?
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "sandy water" or "sandy valley." 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 Arceneaux (1.86 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 surname Arceneaux?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.