2000
#22,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,086
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Arquette
A French surname derived from the arched shape of a vault or bridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,366 Americans carry the last name Arquette. That puts it at #22,200 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 250,918 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arquette 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
1.4K
1 in 250,918
Census rank
#22,200
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,191 bearers of the surname Arquette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22200th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arquette, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arquette
The surname Arquette originated in France, specifically in the northern region of Normandy, during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the old French word "archet," which means "small bow" or "archer." This name was likely given to someone who was skilled in archery or who worked as an archer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arquette can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Archette" and "Archaut," indicating its evolution over time.
In the 13th century, there are records of a family named Arquette residing in the village of Arques-la-Bataille, near Dieppe in Normandy. This place name is thought to have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname.
One notable individual with the surname Arquette was Jean Arquette, a French soldier and explorer who participated in the colonization of New France (present-day Canada) in the early 17th century. He was born around 1590 and is known for his expeditions along the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes region.
Another important figure was Pierre Arquette, a French-Canadian fur trader and explorer who lived from 1681 to 1757. He established trading posts in the Great Lakes region and is credited with facilitating peaceful relations between the French and various Native American tribes.
In the 19th century, Jacques Arquette (1813-1887) was a prominent businessman and politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada and was involved in the development of the railway and timber industries.
The Arquette family also played a role in the American Revolutionary War. Jean-Baptiste Arquette (1746-1823) was a French-Canadian soldier who fought alongside the Continental Army against the British forces.
In more recent history, the Arquette family has gained recognition in the entertainment industry. The most famous members are the siblings Patricia Arquette (born in 1968), an Academy Award-winning actress, and David Arquette (born in 1971), an actor and film producer.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arquette
Among Census respondents with the surname Arquette, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Arquette 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 Arquette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.1% · 882
- Two or more races10.3% · 123
- American Indian and Alaska Native8.9% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 23
- Black or African American0.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arquette
Arquette 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
#21,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,187
+101 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.40
Rank movement Up 307 places
2020
#22,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,191
+4 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.40
Rank movement Down 322 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,185 | 1,086 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,878 | 1,187 | 0.40 | +101 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 307 places |
| 2020 | #22,200 | 1,191 | 0.40 | +4 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 322 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 Arquette 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 | #21,878 | #22,200 | -1.5% |
| Count | 1,187 | 1,191 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.40 | 0.40 | -0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arquette bearers went from 1,187 to 1,191 (+0.3% change). The surname moved down 322 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,878 to #22,200.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Arquette
FAQ
Arquette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arquette?
Name Census estimates that about 1,366 living Americans carry the surname Arquette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 250,918 residents.
How common is Arquette?
Arquette ranks #22,200 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,191 people with the surname Arquette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,366), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Arquette.
Has Arquette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arquette went from 1,187 recorded bearers to 1,191. That is an increase of 4 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #21,878 to #22,200.
What does the Census say about the background of Arquette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arquette, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Arquette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.1% (882 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arquette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.1%), Two or More Races (10.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (8.9%). 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 Arquette (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 Arquette mean?
A French surname derived from the arched shape of a vault or bridge. 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 Arquette (0.40 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 last name Arquette?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Arquette on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.