2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Palmes
A surname derived from the Latin word "palma" meaning palm tree or victory emblem.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Palmes. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Palmes 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Palmes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Palmes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Palmes, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (27.1%) and Hispanic (11.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Palmes
The surname Palmes is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "palma," which means "palm tree." The name may have initially been used to denote someone who lived near a palm grove or who worked with palm fronds or products derived from palm trees.
One of the earliest documented mentions of the Palmes surname can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval manuscript from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. This document, which dates back to the 12th century, contains several references to individuals with the surname Palmes.
During the 13th century, the Palmes name appeared in various historical records in the region of Catalonia, particularly in the city of Barcelona. One notable figure from this era was Bernat Palmes, a merchant and landowner who lived in Barcelona in the late 1200s.
As the name spread across Spain, it also underwent variations in spelling, such as Palmas and Palmés. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and linguistic changes over time.
In the 15th century, the Palmes surname gained prominence in the Kingdom of Aragon, where several members of the family held influential positions. Juan Palmes, born in 1423, was a renowned jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Royal Audiencia of Aragon.
During the 16th century, the Palmes family expanded its reach to the Americas as Spanish conquistadors and settlers ventured to the New World. One notable figure was Pedro Palmes, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in 1519.
In the 17th century, the Palmes surname was found in various parts of Spain, including Andalusia and Extremadura. Alonso Palmes, born in 1612 in Seville, was a celebrated poet and playwright whose works contributed significantly to the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
Over the centuries, the Palmes surname has continued to be prevalent in Spain and has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and trade. Notable bearers of the name in more recent times include Manuel Palmes, a Spanish novelist and essayist born in 1876, and Pablo Palmes, a renowned Spanish painter and sculptor who lived from 1906 to 1977.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Palmes
Among Census respondents with the surname Palmes, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (27.1%) and Hispanic (11.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Palmes 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 Palmes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.2% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander27.1% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino11.0% · 13
- Black or African American6.8% · 8
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Palmes
Palmes 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+10 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 217 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-7 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,799 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 217 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 8,799 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 Palmes 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 | #134,712 | #143,511 | -6.5% |
| Count | 125 | 118 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Palmes bearers went from 125 to 118 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 8,799 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #143,511.
FAQ
Palmes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Palmes?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Palmes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Palmes?
Palmes ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Palmes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Palmes.
Has Palmes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Palmes went from 125 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Palmes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Palmes, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (27.1%) and Hispanic (11.0%). 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 Palmes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.2% (64 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Palmes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (27.1%), Hispanic (11.0%). 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 Palmes (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 Palmes mean?
A surname derived from the Latin word "palma" meaning palm tree or victory emblem. 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 Palmes (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 have the surname Palmes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.