2000
#5,469
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,846
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.17
Rare Last name
Plascencia
A toponymic surname derived from a place name in Spain, likely referring to a town or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,721 Americans carry the last name Plascencia. That puts it at #4,065 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,259 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plascencia 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
9.7K
1 in 35,259
Census rank
#4,065
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,477 bearers of the surname Plascencia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4065th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plascencia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plascencia
The surname Plascencia has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Castile-La Mancha. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Spanish word "plaza," which means "square" or "marketplace," and is thought to be a toponymic surname, referring to a person who lived near or was associated with a particular plaza or town square.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Plascencia can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census document from the 14th century, which lists several individuals with this surname residing in various villages and towns across Castile. The name also appears in various municipal records and historical documents from the 15th and 16th centuries, indicating its widespread use during that time.
In the 16th century, the name Plascencia was brought to the Americas during the Spanish colonization of the New World. Juan de Plascencia, a Spanish conquistador born in 1495, is one of the earliest known individuals with this surname to have ventured to the Americas. He participated in the conquest of Mexico and later became a prominent landowner and colonist in present-day Mexico.
Another notable figure with the surname Plascencia was Fray Juan de Plascencia, a Franciscan friar born in Spain in 1555. He traveled to New Spain (present-day Mexico) in the late 16th century and became known for his missionary work among the indigenous populations, as well as his writings on the indigenous languages and cultures of the region.
In the 18th century, Diego de Plascencia, born in 1710 in Spain, was a prominent military officer who served in the Spanish colonial army in New Spain. He played a significant role in defending the Spanish territories against indigenous uprisings and foreign incursions.
During the 19th century, the surname Plascencia continued to be prevalent in various parts of Spain and the Americas. José María Plascencia, born in Mexico in 1829, was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a congressman and played a role in the Reform War of the 1850s.
These are just a few examples of individuals who carried the surname Plascencia throughout history, demonstrating its long-standing presence and significance in various regions and contexts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plascencia
Among Census respondents with the surname Plascencia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Plascencia 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 Plascencia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino97.4% · 8,259
- White2.1% · 180
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 16
- Two or more races0.1% · 10
- Black or African American0.1% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plascencia
Plascencia 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
#4,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,710
+2,864 bearers (+49.0%)
Per 100,000 2.95
Rank movement Up 1,390 places
2020
#4,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,477
-233 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 2.84
Rank movement Up 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,469 | 5,846 | 2.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,079 | 8,710 | 2.95 | +2,864 bearers (+49.0%) | Up 1,390 places |
| 2020 | #4,065 | 8,477 | 2.84 | -233 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 14 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 Plascencia 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 | #4,079 | #4,065 | 0.3% |
| Count | 8,710 | 8,477 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.95 | 2.84 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plascencia bearers went from 8,710 to 8,477 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,079 to #4,065.
FAQ
Plascencia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plascencia?
Name Census estimates that about 9,721 living Americans carry the surname Plascencia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,259 residents.
How common is Plascencia?
Plascencia ranks #4,065 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,477 people with the surname Plascencia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,721), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Plascencia.
Has Plascencia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plascencia went from 8,710 recorded bearers to 8,477. That is a decrease of 233 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,079 to #4,065.
What does the Census say about the background of Plascencia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plascencia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%). 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 Plascencia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (8,259 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plascencia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (97.4%), White (2.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%). 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 Plascencia (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 Plascencia mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name in Spain, likely referring to a town or village. 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 Plascencia (2.84 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 Plascencia?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Plascencia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.