Arcila last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Arcila

A habitational surname derived from the Spanish place name Arcila.

Arcila, 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 Arcila surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arcila in America

Arcila is the 23251st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arcila surname appeared 1,096 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 Arcila.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arcila 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 23251 30161 -25.87%
Count 1,096 733 39.69%
Proportion per 100k 0.37 0.27 31.25%

The history of the last name Arcila

The surname Arcila is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish toponym "Arcila," which refers to a town located in the northern part of Morocco, historically known as the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arcila can be found in the late 15th century, when Spanish explorer Diego García de Campos mentioned the town in his expedition reports. During this time, the region was under the control of the Crown of Castile, and many Spanish settlers and soldiers were stationed there, potentially giving rise to the surname.

In the 16th century, the name Arcila appeared in various Spanish records and documents, including the census records of the Kingdom of Valencia. One notable figure bearing this surname was Juan Arcila, a Spanish soldier who fought in the Conquest of the Canary Islands in the late 15th century.

As the Spanish Empire expanded its reach across the Americas, the surname Arcila traveled with the conquistadors and settlers. In the 17th century, records show instances of individuals with this surname in Mexico and other parts of New Spain (present-day Mexico and Central America).

In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the Arcila surname was Tomás Arcila y Córdova, a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Panama from 1733 to 1737. His tenure was marked by efforts to fortify the city of Panama against pirate attacks and improve the infrastructure of the region.

Another notable individual was María Arcila, a Spanish poet and writer who lived in the late 18th century. Her works, which explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality, were widely acclaimed and published in various literary journals of the time.

In the 19th century, the surname Arcila gained prominence in Latin American countries, with several individuals making significant contributions in various fields. For instance, José Arcila was a Colombian politician and statesman who played a crucial role in the independence movement of Colombia in the early 1800s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arcila

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

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 Arcila was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 4.20% 46
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.46% 5
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 94.89% 1,040

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 Arcila has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 4.20% 4.09% 2.65%
Black 0.46% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 1.09% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 94.89% 94.00% 0.94%

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

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

Reference this page

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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!

"Arcila last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/arcila-surname-popularity/.

"Arcila last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/arcila-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Arcila last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/arcila-surname-popularity/.

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