2000
#2,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,821
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.75
Uncommon Last name
Alarcon
A Spanish locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the fortress" or "the castle."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,365 Americans carry the last name Alarcon. That puts it at #1,893 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,043 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alarcon 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Alarcon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,043
Census rank
#1,893
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,631 bearers of the surname Alarcon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1893rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alarcon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alarcon
The surname Alarcon has its origins in Spain. It is derived from the Arabic words "al-arq" meaning "the sweat" or "perspiration," and later evolved into the Spanish word "alarcon," which referred to a small stream or brook. This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a small stream or brook.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Alarcon date back to the 13th century in the region of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. It appears in several historical records and manuscripts from that period, particularly in the areas around the city of Cuenca.
One notable historical reference to the name Alarcon is found in the "Cantar de Mio Cid" (The Poem of the Cid), a 12th-century epic poem that chronicles the life of the Castilian hero El Cid. The poem mentions the town of Alarcon, which may have been named after an individual with this surname.
In the 15th century, the Alarcon family played a significant role in the Reconquista, the centuries-long struggle between Christian and Muslim forces for control of the Iberian Peninsula. Juan Ruiz de Alarcon (1581-1639) was a celebrated Spanish playwright and author during the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
Another notable figure with this surname was Hernando de Alarcon (c. 1500-1541), a Spanish explorer who led an expedition to find the legendary Seven Cities of Gold in present-day New Mexico and Arizona.
Don Pedro Antonio de Alarcon (1833-1891) was a renowned Spanish novelist, playwright, and journalist. He is considered one of the most important writers of the 19th century in Spain.
Juan Ruiz de Alarcon y Mendoza (1581-1639) was a Mexican-born Spanish dramatist and playwright who is regarded as one of the greatest authors of the Spanish Golden Age theater.
Fabian de Alarcon y Covarrubias (1590-1667) was a Spanish painter and engraver who worked in the Baroque style and is known for his religious paintings and engravings.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who have carried the surname Alarcon, which has its roots in the Spanish language and culture, and can be traced back to the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alarcon
Among Census respondents with the surname Alarcon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Alarcon 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 Alarcon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.6% · 16,877
- White5.7% · 1,059
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 464
- Black or African American0.4% · 81
- Two or more races0.4% · 80
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 70
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alarcon
Alarcon 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
#1,917
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,805
+5,984 bearers (+46.7%)
Per 100,000 6.38
Rank movement Up 677 places
2020
#1,893
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,631
-174 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 6.23
Rank movement Up 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,594 | 12,821 | 4.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,917 | 18,805 | 6.38 | +5,984 bearers (+46.7%) | Up 677 places |
| 2020 | #1,893 | 18,631 | 6.23 | -174 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 24 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 Alarcon 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 | #1,917 | #1,893 | 1.3% |
| Count | 18,805 | 18,631 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 6.38 | 6.23 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alarcon bearers went from 18,805 to 18,631 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,917 to #1,893.
FAQ
Alarcon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alarcon?
Name Census estimates that about 21,365 living Americans carry the surname Alarcon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,043 residents.
How common is Alarcon?
Alarcon ranks #1,893 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,631 people with the surname Alarcon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,365), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Alarcon.
Has Alarcon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alarcon went from 18,805 recorded bearers to 18,631. That is a decrease of 174 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,917 to #1,893.
What does the Census say about the background of Alarcon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alarcon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.6%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Alarcon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (16,877 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alarcon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.6%), White (5.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Alarcon (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 Alarcon mean?
A Spanish locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the fortress" or "the castle." 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 Alarcon (6.23 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 people have the surname Alarcon?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.