2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Palencar
A surname potentially derived from the Spanish word "palanca" meaning lever or pry bar.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Palencar. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Palencar surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Palencar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Palencar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Palencar
The surname Palencar originates from Spain, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "palenca," which referred to a type of barrier or fence made of wooden stakes. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for someone who constructed or maintained such fences.
The name appears to have originated in the region of Aragon, located in northeastern Spain. In the 13th century, there are records of individuals bearing the name Palencar in the town of Zaragoza, which was a major center of the Kingdom of Aragon at the time.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Palencar can be found in the Liber Feudorum Maior, a medieval cartulary compiled in the 13th century. The document records a certain Pedro Palencar as a landholder in the region of Teruel, Aragon, during the reign of King James I of Aragon (1208-1276).
In the 14th century, the name Palencar appeared in various legal documents and registers in the Crown of Aragon. For example, a wealthy merchant named Juan Palencar is mentioned in a trade agreement from 1352, suggesting the family's involvement in commercial activities.
During the 15th century, the Palencar surname gained prominence in the region of Valencia, where several members of the family held positions of influence. One notable figure was Rodrigo Palencar (1432-1498), a prominent lawyer and jurist who served as a magistrate in the city of Valencia.
In the 16th century, the Palencar family expanded beyond Spain, with some members migrating to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. One such individual was Diego Palencar (1525-1589), a conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru and later settled in the region of modern-day Ecuador.
Throughout the centuries, the Palencar surname has been associated with various notable individuals across various fields. These include Pablo Palencar (1678-1742), a renowned architect who designed several churches and buildings in Madrid, and María Palencar (1802-1878), a celebrated painter and portraitist during the Romantic period in Spain.
While the name has evolved through various spellings, such as Palencares and Palencart, the core form of Palencar has remained relatively consistent since its origins in medieval Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Palencar
Among Census respondents with the surname Palencar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Palencar bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Palencar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Palencar
Palencar appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+8 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,412 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-9 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,437 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 1,412 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 9,437 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Palencar surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #139,228 | #148,665 | -6.8% |
| Count | 120 | 111 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Palencar bearers went from 120 to 111 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 9,437 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #148,665.
FAQ
Palencar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Palencar?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Palencar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Palencar?
Palencar ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Palencar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Palencar.
Has Palencar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Palencar went from 120 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Palencar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Palencar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Palencar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Palencar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (1.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Palencar (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Palencar mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Spanish word "palanca" meaning lever or pry bar. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Palencar (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Palencar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.