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

Arch, 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 Arch surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arch in America

Arch is the 20687th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arch surname appeared 1,279 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 Arch.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arch 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 Arch

The surname ARCH is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word 'arce' or 'arche', meaning 'ark' or 'chest'. It likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who made or sold arks, chests, or other wooden containers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ARCH can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Arche'. This suggests the name was already established in England by the 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various records as 'Arche', 'Arches', and 'Atte Arche', indicating its use as a locational surname for someone living near an arch or arched structure.

Notable historical figures bearing the surname ARCH include John Arch (c. 1565-1654), an English clergyman and author, and Edward Arch (1638-1718), an English clergyman and academic.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name was also associated with several landed gentry families in counties like Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. For instance, Sir John Arch (1594-1655) was a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire.

In the 18th century, the name appears in various parish records, particularly in the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire, suggesting a concentration of ARCH families in those areas. One notable bearer from this period was Thomas Arch (1724-1804), an English agriculturist and writer on rural economics.

Moving into the 19th century, the surname ARCH continued to be found throughout England, with individuals like Joseph Arch (1826-1919), a prominent trade unionist and founder of the National Agricultural Labourers' Union.

Other notable individuals with the surname ARCH include the English cricketer Walter Arch (1835-1920), the British Army officer Sir Joseph Arch (1857-1935), and the American architect Joseph Milton Arch (1824-1892).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arch

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Arch, 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!