2000
#4,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,057
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.62
Rare Last name
Place
An English toponymic surname indicating one who lived near an open space, such as a courtyard or square.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,122 Americans carry the last name Place. That puts it at #4,835 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,201 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Place 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 Place with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.1K
1 in 42,201
Census rank
#4,835
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,083 bearers of the surname Place in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4835th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Place, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Place
The surname Place originates from England and dates back to the late 11th century. It is a locational surname derived from the Old English word "plæce," meaning a small piece of ground or an open space. The name likely referred to someone who lived near an open area or a town square.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the famous Domesday Book, a record of landholdings compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "de Place" in this document, reflecting the French influence on English surnames during the Norman conquest.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as "atte Place," "del Place," and "de la Place," indicating the person's association with a particular place or location. These variations were common during that time when surnames were still evolving.
Notable individuals with the surname Place include Sir Christopher Place (1524-1597), an English merchant and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was Thomas Place (1590-1675), an English barrister and judge who served as a Justice of the King's Bench.
In the literary world, Francis Place (1647-1728) was a renowned English dramatist and author, best known for his play "The Orphan" (1680). His contemporaries included the poet John Place (1654-1723), who was celebrated for his lyrical works.
Moving forward in history, George Place (1779-1854) was a British army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a notable explorer and surveyor in Australia.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Place has been associated with various regions and localities across England, reflecting its locational origins. While some variations in spelling occurred over time, the name has maintained its connection to the concept of a specific place or location.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Place
Among Census respondents with the surname Place, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Place 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 Place surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 6,251
- Two or more races4.2% · 294
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 283
- Black or African American1.8% · 131
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Place
Place 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
#4,862
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,251
+194 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 262 places
2020
#4,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,083
-168 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 2.37
Rank movement Up 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,600 | 7,057 | 2.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,862 | 7,251 | 2.46 | +194 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 262 places |
| 2020 | #4,835 | 7,083 | 2.37 | -168 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 27 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 Place 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 | #4,862 | #4,835 | 0.6% |
| Count | 7,251 | 7,083 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.46 | 2.37 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Place bearers went from 7,251 to 7,083 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,862 to #4,835.
FAQ
Place surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Place?
Name Census estimates that about 8,122 living Americans carry the surname Place. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,201 residents.
How common is Place?
Place ranks #4,835 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,083 people with the surname Place. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Place.
Has Place become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Place went from 7,251 recorded bearers to 7,083. That is a decrease of 168 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,862 to #4,835.
What does the Census say about the background of Place?
Among Census respondents with the surname Place, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Place in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (6,251 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Place appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Place (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 Place mean?
An English toponymic surname indicating one who lived near an open space, such as a courtyard or square. 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 Place (2.37 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 Place?
See how many Americans have the surname Place on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.