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

Placencia, 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 Placencia surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Placencia in America

Placencia is the 8291st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Placencia surname appeared 3,996 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 Placencia.

We can also compare 2010 data for Placencia 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 Placencia

The surname Placencia has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Valencia. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, sometime between the 11th and 13th centuries. The name is derived from the Spanish word "placentía," which means "pleasant" or "agreeable," likely referring to the pleasant or desirable location where the name originated.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Placencia surname can be found in the "Repartimiento de Valencia," a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of properties and lands among the Christian conquerors of Valencia after its reconquest from the Moors in 1238. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Placencia, indicating that the name was already in use at that time.

Throughout history, the Placencia name has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Pedro de Placencia, a Spanish navigator and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands in the 15th century. Another notable figure was Juan de Placencia, a 16th-century Spanish painter known for his religious works and altarpieces.

In the 17th century, Diego de Placencia y Ayala (1603-1669) was a Spanish naval officer and politician who served as the Governor of the Philippines from 1646 to 1648. Around the same time, Francisco de Placencia (1636-1718) was a Spanish Baroque architect and sculptor who worked in several churches and monasteries in Madrid.

Moving into the 18th century, José de Placencia y Costilla (1700-1778) was a Spanish colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Province of New Mexico from 1765 to 1768. His tenure was marked by efforts to promote agriculture and improve relations with the indigenous populations.

While the Placencia name has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries due to Spanish colonization and emigration. The name has evolved over time, with variations in spelling such as Plasencia, Placenza, and Plasenza, reflecting regional linguistic differences and adaptations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Placencia

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Placencia, 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!