Alcaraz
A Spanish surname taken from the place name Alcaraz in southern Spain.
The #3,098 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 26,579 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Alcaraz is a habitational surname, meaning it originally identified someone who came from the town of Alcaraz in Albacete, Spain. The place name is usually traced to Arabic, reflecting the long Muslim presence in medieval Iberia, though the exact original form is not entirely certain. As with many Spanish surnames, the family name spread when people left the town and were identified by their place of origin.
History
The surname is strongly associated with Spain and later with Spanish-speaking populations in the Americas. It is also found in the Philippines and other regions touched by Spanish colonial settlement and migration. Because it is a place-based surname, unrelated families could adopt it independently if they came from the same locality.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The town of Alcaraz is one of the oldest documented settlements in its province, which helped make its name a durable surname source.