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I see "arse" used on occasion here in the US as a way to make "ass" sound milder. It's like using "darn" instead of "damn", munging the pronunciation. In either case, the cultural exchange goes both ways.

I think sometimes arse is used in a sort of ironic sounding way here.

In general though, outside of this one, a lot of things that somes get described as British use turn out to be things that I would also say. Sometimes there are regional differences in the US, or sonetimes it might even vary with the individual. The patterns of who says what aren't always so neat and organized as "this is always American, this is always British."

I myself have one parent who was born in England and immigrated here fairly young, and I sometimes wonder if or assume that's a factor for me.

We say "arse" here to be less crass.

That's funny, because calling someone an "ass" can be euphemistically explained away as just saying they're a donkey, while "arse" is unambiguously anatomical.

But it's more British, and therefore classier. Because that's definitely how these things work, somehow.