Arcos
A Spanish surname most likely from a place name, originally referring to someone from or near a place called Arcos.
The #8,005 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 74,721 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Arcos is best understood as a Spanish locational surname, taken from one of several places named Arcos. The place-name itself comes from Spanish and Latin arcus, meaning “arch” or “curve,” and in some contexts could also suggest an arched feature in the landscape or a settlement associated with arches. As with many Iberian surnames, the family name usually began as an identifying label for someone from that locality.
History
The surname is found in the Spanish-speaking world and is especially common in areas with strong Spanish migration histories. Because many towns and villages in Spain and Latin America are called Arcos, the surname may have multiple independent origins. The word is also transparently plural in Spanish, matching the place-name form found in historical gazetteers.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Spanish place-names in the plural, like Arcos, often preserve an older geographical name rather than a family name invented from scratch.
From the historical record
“Arcones. Plural del anterior. Arcos. Plural de Arco. Arenales. Muchos sitios poblados de arena. Arenas. El conjunto de partículas desprendidas de las rocas i peñascos, i aumentadas comunmente en las orillas”
— Diccionario de los apellidos