Arcala is a Spanish surname, mostly found in Ilocano areas of the Philippine Islands, however has been found in other places such as the Dominican Republic and non-Ilocano areas of the Philippines and other continents. It is a variation of the Spanish surname Alcala.

Alcalá (Catalan) or Alcala are all transliterations of the Arabic word al-qal'a (القلعة), meaning "the citadel" or "fortification".

A SURNAMES - Philippines

The Edict of Governor General Narciso Claveria in 1847 required all inhabitants of the Philippines to adopt surnames to facilitate the collection of taxes. Being the capital town, the “naturales” or Catholic natives in Vigan were required to adopt surnames beginning with the letter “A” while the mestizos with the letter “F”.

LINKS

Arcala Surname group on Facebook.

Moorish Culture in Spain and Elsewhere