2000
#11,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,534
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Arcos
Derived from the Spanish word for "arches," likely referring to an ancestor who lived near or built arches.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,629 Americans carry the last name Arcos. That puts it at #7,883 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,045 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arcos 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
4.6K
1 in 74,045
Census rank
#7,883
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,037 bearers of the surname Arcos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7883rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arcos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arcos
Among Census respondents with the surname Arcos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Arcos 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 Arcos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.8% · 3,826
- White4.0% · 163
- Black or African American0.4% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 18
- Two or more races0.2% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arcos
Arcos 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
#8,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,132
+1,598 bearers (+63.1%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Up 3,400 places
2020
#7,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,037
-95 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Up 122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,405 | 2,534 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,005 | 4,132 | 1.40 | +1,598 bearers (+63.1%) | Up 3,400 places |
| 2020 | #7,883 | 4,037 | 1.35 | -95 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 122 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 Arcos 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 | #8,005 | #7,883 | 1.5% |
| Count | 4,132 | 4,037 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.35 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arcos bearers went from 4,132 to 4,037 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 122 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,005 to #7,883.
FAQ
Arcos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arcos?
Name Census estimates that about 4,629 living Americans carry the surname Arcos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,045 residents.
How common is Arcos?
Arcos ranks #7,883 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,037 people with the surname Arcos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,629), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Arcos.
Has Arcos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arcos went from 4,132 recorded bearers to 4,037. That is a decrease of 95 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,005 to #7,883.
What does the Census say about the background of Arcos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arcos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Arcos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (3,826 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arcos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.8%), White (4.0%), Black (0.4%). 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 Arcos (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 Arcos mean?
Derived from the Spanish word for "arches," likely referring to an ancestor who lived near or built arches. 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 Arcos (1.35 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 Americans have the surname Arcos?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.