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

Arciniega, 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 Arciniega surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arciniega in America

Arciniega is the 9352nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arciniega surname appeared 3,478 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Arciniega.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arciniega 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 Arciniega

The surname Arciniega has its origins in Spain, specifically in the Basque region. The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.

Arciniega is derived from a Basque place name, likely referring to a specific locality or region within the Basque Country. The etymology of the name can be traced back to the Basque words "aritz" (oak) and "ibar" (valley), suggesting that the original bearer of the name may have lived in an oak-filled valley or near an area known for its oak trees.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arciniega can be found in the "Becerro Galicano de las Behetrías de Castilla," a census-like document compiled in the 14th century during the reign of King Pedro I of Castile. This document listed individuals and households, including those with the surname Arciniega, providing valuable insight into the name's historical presence in the region.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Arciniega surname was Diego de Arciniega, a Spanish military officer and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands and later served as the governor of the island of Tenerife from 1531 to 1535.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Juan de Arciniega, a Basque architect and stonemason who lived in the 16th century. He is renowned for his contribution to the construction of the iconic Cathedral of Havana in Cuba, which was built between 1572 and 1777.

During the 17th century, a woman named María de Arciniega gained recognition as a painter and artist in Spain. Her works, primarily religious in nature, can be found in various churches and museums throughout the country.

In the realm of literature, Francisco de Arciniega, a Spanish writer and poet born in 1682, left a notable legacy with his works that explored themes of love, nature, and the human experience.

Moving into the 19th century, Ignacio de Arciniega, born in 1823, was a prominent Spanish politician and diplomat who served as the Spanish ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1868 to 1871, playing a crucial role in maintaining diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arciniega

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

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

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