2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Palles
A surname possibly deriving from the Normans and meaning an itinerant professional.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Palles. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Palles 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Palles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Palles, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.7%) and Two or More Races (7.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Palles
The surname PALLES is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Pallas," which means "knight" or "warrior." The name is thought to have been given to individuals who were known for their bravery and skill in combat.
The earliest known record of the name PALLES can be found in the town of Heidelberg, where a man named Johann Palles was listed as a resident in 1543. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
In the 17th century, the PALLES name began to spread across Europe, with families bearing the name settling in countries such as France, England, and the Netherlands. One notable example is Hans Palles, a Dutch merchant who was born in Rotterdam in 1620 and became a successful trader in the East Indies.
During the 18th century, the PALLES name gained prominence in the field of academia. Johann Friedrich Palles, a German philosopher and writer, was born in Leipzig in 1745 and is best known for his work on ethical theory and the philosophy of religion.
The 19th century saw the PALLES name associated with several notable figures in the arts and sciences. August Palles, a German painter and illustrator, was born in Berlin in 1823 and is renowned for his portraits and landscapes. Meanwhile, Carl Palles, a Swedish botanist born in 1841, made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and systematics.
In the 20th century, the PALLES name continued to be carried by individuals who made their mark in various fields. Otto Palles, an Austrian physicist born in 1910, was a pioneer in the field of nuclear physics and played a crucial role in the development of nuclear reactors.
While these examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals bearing the surname PALLES, it is important to note that the name's origins and historical significance are rooted in its association with bravery and martial prowess in medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Palles
Among Census respondents with the surname Palles, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.7%) and Two or More Races (7.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Palles 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 Palles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.0% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino18.7% · 20
- Two or more races7.5% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Palles
Palles appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 107 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 Palles 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 | #151,532 | #151,639 | -0.1% |
| Count | 108 | 107 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Palles bearers went from 108 to 107 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #151,639.
FAQ
Palles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Palles?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Palles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Palles?
Palles ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Palles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Palles.
Has Palles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Palles went from 108 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Palles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Palles, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.7%) and Two or More Races (7.5%). 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 Palles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.0% (76 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Palles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.0%), Hispanic (18.7%), Two or More Races (7.5%). 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 Palles (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 Palles mean?
A surname possibly deriving from the Normans and meaning an itinerant professional. 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 Palles (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 common is the surname Palles?
Want to know how common the surname Palles is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.