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

Palma, 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 Palma surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Palma in America

Palma is the 1735th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Palma surname appeared 20,636 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Palma.

We can also compare 2010 data for Palma 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 Palma

The surname Palma is of Italian origin, derived from the Latin word "palma," meaning "palm tree" or "branch of a palm tree." The name likely originated in the regions of Italy where palm trees were prevalent, such as the coastal areas or Mediterranean islands like Sicily.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Palma can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Campania region of Italy, dating back to the 11th century. The name appears in various forms, including Palma, Palme, and Palmi, suggesting variations in spelling and pronunciation over time.

In the 12th century, the Palma family was mentioned in records from the city of Pisa, where they were involved in maritime trade and commerce. During this period, the surname was also documented in other parts of Italy, such as Genoa and Tuscany.

The surname Palma gained prominence in the 15th century with the birth of Jacopo Palma il Vecchio (c. 1480-1528), a renowned Italian Renaissance painter from Venice. His works, including altarpieces and portraits, can be found in various churches and museums across Italy and Europe.

Another notable figure bearing the surname Palma was Giacomo Palma il Giovane (1548-1628), a Venetian painter and the nephew of Jacopo Palma il Vecchio. He was known for his religious paintings and mythological scenes, which were heavily influenced by the works of Titian and Tintoretto.

In the 16th century, the Palma family established itself in the Spanish city of Valencia, where they played a significant role in the local government and society. One prominent member was Juan Palma y Vinader (1547-1619), a Spanish jurist and politician who served as the regent of the Royal Audiencia of Valencia.

The surname Palma also has connections to the island of Majorca (Mallorca), where it is believed to have originated from the Catalan variant "Palma." The city of Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the Balearic Islands, was an important trading hub in the Mediterranean, contributing to the spread of the surname across the region.

Other notable individuals with the surname Palma include Guido Palma (c. 1420-1460), an Italian painter from Urbino known for his religious works; Federico Palma (1568-1628), an Italian composer and organist from Venice; and Francisco Palma (1876-1952), a Spanish painter and sculptor from Valencia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Palma

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

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 Palma 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 Palma 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 Palma was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!