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

Plantinga, 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 Plantinga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Plantinga in America

Plantinga is the 107669th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Plantinga surname appeared 165 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Plantinga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Plantinga 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 Plantinga

The surname Plantinga originated in the Netherlands and is derived from the Dutch word "planten," meaning "plants" or "plantations." This suggests that the name's earliest bearers were likely associated with the cultivation or management of plants or agricultural lands.

The name Plantinga is believed to have emerged in the Dutch province of Friesland, where it was concentrated in the northern region near the city of Leeuwarden. Variations of the name's spelling, such as Plantinge and Plantinge, were common in early records from this area.

One of the earliest known references to the name Plantinga can be found in a 16th-century document from the Frisian town of Hallum, where a certain Jouke Plantinga was mentioned as a landowner. This suggests that the name had already established itself in the region by that time.

In the late 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sibbe Plantinga, a Frisian magistrate and politician who served as a representative of the Frisian States in the Dutch Republic's governing body, the States General.

The 17th century saw the birth of Sibrandus Plantinga, a Dutch Reformed minister and theologian who was born in Friesland in 1624. He is known for his work on the doctrine of predestination and his contributions to the debates surrounding the Synod of Dort.

Another prominent figure was Tjerk Plantinga, a Frisian merchant and shipowner who lived in the 18th century. He was involved in the thriving Dutch maritime trade and was a respected member of the business community in the city of Leeuwarden.

In the 19th century, Arjen Plantinga, born in 1808 in the village of Buitenpost, Friesland, gained recognition as a skilled clockmaker and watchmaker. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after and are now considered valuable antiques.

Moving into the 20th century, Alvin Plantinga, born in 1932 in Leiden, Netherlands, became a renowned American philosopher and proponent of reformed epistemology. He held prestigious positions at various universities, including Calvin College and the University of Notre Dame, and was recognized for his contributions to the philosophy of religion and epistemology.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Plantinga

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Plantinga, please contact us.

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