2010
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Placentia
A locational surname derived from the Italian town Piacenza.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Placentia. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Placentia 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Placentia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Placentia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.0%. The next largest groups are White (13.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Placentia
The surname Placentia originates from Italy and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "placentia," meaning "pleasant" or "agreeable." The name is believed to have its roots in the city of Piacenza, a province in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Placentia can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Dominii Temporalis S. Sedis, a collection of papal documents from the 8th to the 13th century. The name appears in several records, suggesting its use among Italian families during that time.
In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the name Placentia was Guglielmo Placentia, a Franciscan friar and philosopher who lived from around 1235 to 1300. He was known for his contributions to the study of logic and metaphysics.
During the Renaissance period, the Placentia family gained prominence in Florence, where they were involved in the textile trade. One notable member was Bartolomeo Placentia (1439-1512), a wealthy merchant and banker who served as a financial advisor to the Medici family.
In the 16th century, the name Placentia appeared in the records of the Spanish Inquisition. One such individual was Juan Placentia, a merchant from Seville who was persecuted for his alleged involvement in the crypto-Jewish community.
Another notable figure with the surname Placentia was Giovanni Battista Placentia (1590-1668), an Italian mathematician and astronomer. He is best known for his work on the calculation of planetary orbits and his collaboration with Galileo Galilei.
In the 18th century, the Placentia name was associated with the arts. Giuseppe Placentia (1716-1784) was an Italian painter and engraver who was renowned for his depictions of landscapes and architectural scenes.
While the surname Placentia has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period and the city of Piacenza in northern Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Placentia
Among Census respondents with the surname Placentia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.0%. The next largest groups are White (13.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Placentia 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 Placentia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino80.0% · 88
- White13.6% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Placentia
Placentia appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-21 bearers (-16.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,621 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-16.0%) | Down 19,621 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 Placentia 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 | #129,825 | #149,446 | -15.1% |
| Count | 131 | 110 | -16.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Placentia bearers went from 131 to 110 (-16.0% change). The surname moved down 19,621 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #149,446.
FAQ
Placentia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Placentia?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Placentia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Placentia?
Placentia ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Placentia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Placentia.
Has Placentia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Placentia went from 131 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 21 (-16.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Placentia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Placentia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.0%. The next largest groups are White (13.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Placentia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Placentia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (80.0%), White (13.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Placentia (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 Placentia mean?
A locational surname derived from the Italian town Piacenza. 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 Placentia (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 last name Placentia?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Placentia? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.