2000
#10,920
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,674
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Plasencia
A toponymic surname indicating an individual's origins in the Spanish city of Plasencia or an area with a similar name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,335 Americans carry the last name Plasencia. That puts it at #8,390 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,067 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plasencia 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
4.3K
1 in 79,067
Census rank
#8,390
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,780 bearers of the surname Plasencia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8390th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plasencia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Black (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plasencia
The surname Plasencia is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period in the regions of Extremadura and Castile. It is a toponymic surname, derived from the city of Plasencia, which lies in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura. The city's name is believed to have been derived from the Latin word "placentia," meaning "pleasing" or "pleasant," reflecting the area's natural beauty.
Plasencia was mentioned in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript containing accounts of pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela. This early record suggests the surname's presence in the region during that time. The name also appeared in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century manuscript documenting hunting expeditions of King Alfonso XI of Castile.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Plasencia can be traced back to the 13th century. Rodrigo Plasencia, born in 1245, was a prominent scholar and theologian from Plasencia who taught at the University of Paris. Another notable figure was Álvaro de Plasencia, a 15th-century Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico.
In the 16th century, the surname gained prominence with figures like Antonio de Plasencia, a renowned architect who contributed to the construction of the Alcázar of Toledo, and Juan de Plasencia, a Catholic priest and missionary who played a significant role in the evangelization of the Philippines.
Moving into the 17th century, Gaspar de Plasencia y Zúñiga was a Spanish military officer and diplomat who served as the governor of the Duchy of Milan from 1668 to 1677. In the 18th century, José de Plasencia was a notable Spanish painter known for his religious and historical works.
Throughout history, the surname Plasencia has been associated with various notable individuals, reflecting the rich heritage and cultural influence of this Spanish lineage across multiple fields, including academia, exploration, architecture, religion, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plasencia
Among Census respondents with the surname Plasencia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Black (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Plasencia 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 Plasencia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.7% · 3,540
- White5.2% · 196
- Black or African American0.5% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 13
- Two or more races0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plasencia
Plasencia 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
#9,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,608
+934 bearers (+34.9%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Up 1,862 places
2020
#8,390
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,780
+172 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Up 668 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,920 | 2,674 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,058 | 3,608 | 1.22 | +934 bearers (+34.9%) | Up 1,862 places |
| 2020 | #8,390 | 3,780 | 1.26 | +172 bearers (+4.8%) | Up 668 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 Plasencia 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 | #9,058 | #8,390 | 7.4% |
| Count | 3,608 | 3,780 | 4.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 1.26 | 3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plasencia bearers went from 3,608 to 3,780 (+4.8% change). The surname moved up 668 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,058 to #8,390.
FAQ
Plasencia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plasencia?
Name Census estimates that about 4,335 living Americans carry the surname Plasencia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,067 residents.
How common is Plasencia?
Plasencia ranks #8,390 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 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 3,780 people with the surname Plasencia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,335), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 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 Plasencia.
Has Plasencia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plasencia went from 3,608 recorded bearers to 3,780. That is an increase of 172 (+4.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,058 to #8,390.
What does the Census say about the background of Plasencia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plasencia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Black (0.5%). 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 Plasencia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (3,540 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plasencia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.7%), White (5.2%), Black (0.5%). 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 Plasencia (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 Plasencia mean?
A toponymic surname indicating an individual's origins in the Spanish city of Plasencia or an area with a similar name. 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 Plasencia (1.26 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 surname Plasencia?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.