2000
#9,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,277
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Placencia
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Plasencia or Placencia, meaning "pleasance" in Spanish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,054 Americans carry the last name Placencia. That puts it at #8,890 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,547 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Placencia 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
4.1K
1 in 84,547
Census rank
#8,890
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,535 bearers of the surname Placencia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8890th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Placencia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Placencia
Among Census respondents with the surname Placencia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Placencia 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 Placencia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.5% · 3,270
- White5.5% · 196
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 25
- Black or African American0.5% · 19
- Two or more races0.4% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Placencia
Placencia 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
#8,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,996
+719 bearers (+21.9%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Up 863 places
2020
#8,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,535
-461 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 599 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,154 | 3,277 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,291 | 3,996 | 1.35 | +719 bearers (+21.9%) | Up 863 places |
| 2020 | #8,890 | 3,535 | 1.18 | -461 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 599 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 Placencia 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 | #8,291 | #8,890 | -7.2% |
| Count | 3,996 | 3,535 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.18 | -12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Placencia bearers went from 3,996 to 3,535 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 599 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,291 to #8,890.
FAQ
Placencia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Placencia?
Name Census estimates that about 4,054 living Americans carry the surname Placencia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,547 residents.
How common is Placencia?
Placencia ranks #8,890 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,535 people with the surname Placencia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,054), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Placencia.
Has Placencia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Placencia went from 3,996 recorded bearers to 3,535. That is a decrease of 461 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,291 to #8,890.
What does the Census say about the background of Placencia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Placencia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Placencia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (3,270 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Placencia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.5%), White (5.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Placencia (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 Placencia mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Plasencia or Placencia, meaning "pleasance" in Spanish. 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 Placencia (1.18 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 Americans have the surname Placencia?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.