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Arches Family History

Arches Surname Meaning

From Arques-la-Bataille in Offranville (Seine-Maritime), which is recorded as (de) Archis in 1024, or possibly from Pont-de-l'Arche (Eure), recorded as Archas in the 11th century. These place-names derive from Latin arca, meaning ‘arch bridge’ (Old French arche, northern Norman and Picard Old French arque).

Arques in Pas-de-Calais has also been suggested as a potential source of some of the Norman family names; however, there is no evidence of it being pronounced as Arches, the regular form of the surname in England. It is recorded as Arkae in the 7th century and Ariaco in the 9th century, which may derive from Celtic *Ariācon, meaning ‘territory of a man called Arios’.

Arches was sometimes reduced to Arch, and the variant form Darches, with a fused preposition as in Simon Darches alias de Arches (1316-17 in TNA, Bucks), may have been reduced to Darch.

This variant could possibly be a form of Arch with a post-medieval excrescent -s, but Arch itself may be a reduced form of the name mentioned earlier.

Source: The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, 2016

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Where is the Arches family from?

You can see how Arches families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Arches family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Arches families were found in Canada in 1911. In 1911 there were 43 Arches families living in Ontario. This was about 78% of all the recorded Arches's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Arches families in 1911.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Arches surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

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What Arches family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1,000 census records available for the last name Arches. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Arches census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

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Passenger Lists

There are 214 immigration records available for the last name Arches. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 269 military records available for the last name Arches. For the veterans among your Arches ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Arches lifespan?

Between 1969 and 2003, in the United States, Arches life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1973, and highest in 1986. The average life expectancy for Arches in 1969 was 82, and 72 in 2003.

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