Find out how popular the last name Palencia is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Palencia.

Palencia, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Palencia surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Palencia in America

Palencia is the 9959th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Palencia surname appeared 3,241 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Palencia.

We can also compare 2010 data for Palencia to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Palencia

The surname Palencia originated in Spain, specifically from the city of Palencia located in the northern region of Castile and León. The name is derived from the Latin word "Pallantia," which was the ancient Roman name for the city.

The earliest known record of the name Palencia dates back to the 12th century, where it appears in various medieval documents and charters from the Kingdom of Castile. These records often referred to individuals who were either born in or resided in the city of Palencia.

One of the earliest prominent figures with the surname Palencia was Pedro de Palencia, a Spanish scholar and humanist who lived from 1437 to 1507. He was a renowned translator and contributed to the spread of classical literature during the Renaissance period.

Another notable person with the Palencia surname was Juan López de Palencia, a 16th-century Spanish clergyman and historian who served as the personal chaplain to King Ferdinand II of Aragon. He is best known for his historical work "Crónica de los Reyes Católicos," which chronicled the reigns of Ferdinand and Isabella.

In the 17th century, Andrés García de Palencia was a Spanish priest and author who wrote a notable work titled "Instrucción náutica para navegar" (Nautical Instruction for Navigation), which was an important contribution to the field of maritime navigation.

The surname Palencia also has a connection to the Spanish conquest of the Americas. One of the early conquistadors who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico was Rodrigo de Palencia, who participated in various battles and expeditions during the 16th century.

Throughout history, the Palencia surname has been associated with various noble families and individuals who held positions of power and influence within the Spanish monarchy and Catholic Church. While the name originated from the city of Palencia, it eventually spread to other regions of Spain and beyond as people migrated and settled in different areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Palencia

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Palencia.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Palencia was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Palencia has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Palencia was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Palencia, please contact us.

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