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

Arko, 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 Arko surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arko in America

Arko is the 37125th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arko surname appeared 601 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 Arko.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arko 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 Arko

The surname ARKO is believed to have originated in Hungary, likely in the late 15th or early 16th century. Its earliest roots can be traced back to the village of Arka, located in the northeastern region of the country. The name is thought to derive from the Hungarian word "árka," which means "ditch" or "trench," possibly referring to a geographic feature or occupation related to digging or fortification work.

Records from the 16th century show the name ARKO appearing in various Hungarian census documents and tax registers. One of the earliest known references is found in the 1548 census of the village of Arka, where a family with the surname ARKO is listed among the local residents.

In the 17th century, the name ARKO began to spread beyond the borders of Hungary, with some notable bearers of the name appearing in neighboring regions. One such individual was Janos ARKO, a Hungarian-born soldier who served in the Austrian Imperial Army during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648).

As the centuries progressed, the ARKO surname continued to be found across Central and Eastern Europe, with variations in spelling such as ARKÓ, ÁRKÓ, and ARKOW emerging in different regions and languages. In the late 18th century, a prominent figure named István ARKO (1737-1815) gained recognition as a Hungarian poet and playwright.

Another notable bearer of the ARKO surname was Antal ARKO (1863-1939), a Hungarian-born architect who worked in Budapest and designed several notable buildings, including the Hungarian National Museum and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

In the 20th century, the name ARKO gained international recognition through the achievements of György ARKO (1921-2002), a Hungarian-born physicist who made significant contributions to the field of quantum electrodynamics and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965.

While the ARKO surname has its roots in Hungary, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals and families who have migrated or descended from Hungarian ancestors. However, the name remains relatively uncommon outside of its region of origin, maintaining a strong connection to its Hungarian heritage and the village of Arka from which it originated.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arko

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

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

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