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

Arcos, 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 Arcos surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arcos in America

Arcos is the 8005th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arcos surname appeared 4,132 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 Arcos.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arcos 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 Arcos

The surname Arcos originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "arco," meaning "arch" or "bow," and may have been initially used as a descriptive name for someone who lived near an arch or a place with arched structures.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arcos can be found in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century manuscript commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. The document mentions a person named "Ruy Pérez de Arcos," suggesting that the surname was already in use during that time.

The name Arcos is also connected to several towns and villages in Spain, such as Arcos de la Frontera in the province of Cádiz, and Arcos de las Salinas in the province of Teruel. These place names likely originated from the presence of arches or arched structures in those locations, further reinforcing the surname's connection to the word "arco."

One notable figure bearing the surname Arcos was Juan de Arcos, a 15th-century Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. Another was Martín de Arcos, a 16th-century Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied Juan Sebastián Elcano on the expedition that completed the first circumnavigation of the globe.

In the realm of literature, Pedro de Arcos was a 16th-century Spanish playwright and poet who contributed to the Golden Age of Spanish theater. His works, such as "La Luna de la Sierra" and "La Fuerza del Amor," were widely popular during his lifetime.

Moving into the 17th century, we find Rodrigo de Arcos, a Spanish military officer and engineer who served as the Governor of the Philippines from 1635 to 1637. He oversaw the construction of several fortifications and played a crucial role in defending the islands against Dutch attacks.

In the 19th century, Manuel de Arcos y Cuadra was a Chilean politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and as the Chilean ambassador to several countries, including Spain and Portugal.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arcos

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

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

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

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