How common is the surname Alcala?

17,758 people in the United States had the surname Alcala in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 17,386 Americans. It ranked 2,029th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Alcala?

Rodney Alcala, American serial killer (1943–2021), followed by Kathleen Alcalá.

Where is the surname Alcala most common?

Wikidata records people named Alcala in the United States.

Is the surname Alcala getting more or less common?

More common. 12,972 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 17,758 in 2010, up 37%.

The surname Alcala

A Spanish surname, carried by 17,758 people in the United States.

3 syllables Soundex A424

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Alcala is more common than 98.7% of them.

Origin

Spanish origin

From Spanish Alcalá, from Arabic القَلْعة (al-qalʕa, “the citadel, the fort”).

One of 992 Spanish surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 17,758 people named Alcala in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 17,386 Americans. That is up 37% since 2000, when the Census counted 12,972.

#2,029

rank among US surnames

17,758

people in 2010

6.0

per 100,000 Americans

+36.9%

change since 2000 (was #2,562)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,020	Akins	17,868	17,279
#2,021	Bergman	17,846	17,301
#2,022	Delong	17,844	17,302
#2,023	Moreland	17,832	17,314
#2,024	Lorenzo	17,825	17,321
#2,025	Longoria	17,818	17,328
#2,026	Pelletier	17,808	17,337

Who is named Alcala

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

92% of people named Alcala identified as Hispanic or Latino (any race), 5.7% as white (not Hispanic) and 2.0% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

Hispanic or Latino (any race) 92%
White (not Hispanic) 5.7%
Asian and Pacific Islander 2.0%
Black (not Hispanic) 0.4%
Two or more races 0.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.1%

Compare: most common surnames among Hispanic and Latino Americans.

Famous Alcalas

2 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Rodney Alcala
American serial killer (1943–2021)
Kathleen Alcalá
American novelist, essayist, short story writer, teacher of creative writing, born 1954

Other Spanish surnames

All 992 Spanish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Alcala come from?: From Spanish Alcalá, from Arabic القَلْعة (al-qalʕa, “the citadel, the fort”).
How common is the surname Alcala?: 17,758 people in the United States had the surname Alcala in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 17,386 Americans. It ranked 2,029th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Alcala?: In the 2010 Census, 92% of people named Alcala identified as Hispanic or Latino (any race), and 5.7% as white (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Alcala?: Rodney Alcala, American serial killer (1943–2021), followed by Kathleen Alcalá.
Where is the surname Alcala most common?: Wikidata records people named Alcala in the United States.
Is the surname Alcala getting more or less common?: More common. 12,972 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 17,758 in 2010, up 37%.