2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Plancon
A occupational surname possibly derived from "planquer", meaning to hide or shelter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Plancon. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plancon 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Plancon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plancon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plancon
The surname Plancon originated in the region of Languedoc in southern France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "plancon," which means a small plank or board, indicating that the name may have been occupational in origin, referring to someone who worked as a carpenter or builder.
Historical records suggest that the name first appeared in the 13th century, with one of the earliest known mentions being found in a document from the town of Nîmes in 1289, referring to a certain Pierre Plancon. Another early reference can be found in the archives of the city of Montpellier, where a Guilhem Plancon is recorded as a resident in 1312.
The name Plancon is not found in the Domesday Book, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, as it was a distinctly French surname. However, it is possible that individuals bearing this name may have migrated to England or other parts of Europe during the later medieval period or the Renaissance.
One notable individual with the surname Plancon was Jacques Plancon (1550-1628), a prominent merchant and banker from Lyon, who played a significant role in the city's economic and cultural life during the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
Another person of historical importance was Marie-Anne Plancon (1738-1811), a French architect and engineer who was renowned for her innovative designs and contributions to the field of construction during the Enlightenment era.
In the 19th century, Jean-Baptiste Plancon (1820-1892) was a French opera singer and teacher who performed at the Paris Opera and helped establish the vocal tradition of the French school of singing.
Pierre Plancon (1858-1924), born in Marseille, was a celebrated French operatic bass who enjoyed a successful career on the stages of Europe and North America, performing in operas by composers such as Wagner and Verdi.
Lastly, André Plancon (1887-1965), a descendant of the Lyon merchant family, was a notable French diplomat and politician who served as a member of the French National Assembly and held various ambassadorial positions during the mid-20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plancon
Among Census respondents with the surname Plancon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Plancon 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 Plancon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 7
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plancon
Plancon 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,840 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+7 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,133 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,840 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.5%) | Up 6,133 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 Plancon 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 | #152,628 | #146,495 | 4.0% |
| Count | 107 | 114 | 6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plancon bearers went from 107 to 114 (+6.5% change). The surname moved up 6,133 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #146,495.
FAQ
Plancon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plancon?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Plancon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Plancon?
Plancon ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Plancon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Plancon.
Has Plancon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plancon went from 107 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 7 (+6.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Plancon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plancon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Plancon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plancon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (6.1%), Two or More Races (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 Plancon (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 Plancon mean?
A occupational surname possibly derived from "planquer", meaning to hide or shelter. 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 Plancon (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 common is the surname Plancon?
Want to know how many people have the last name Plancon? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.