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

Plaza, 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 Plaza surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Plaza in America

Plaza is the 5709th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Plaza surname appeared 6,075 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Plaza.

We can also compare 2010 data for Plaza 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 Plaza

The surname Plaza is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "plaza," which means "square" or "open space." The name likely originated as a descriptive identifier for those who lived near or worked around a town square or marketplace.

In the early days of surname adoption, people were often referred to by their occupation, location, or physical characteristics. The name Plaza suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have resided or worked in or around a town's central plaza, where markets, gatherings, and other communal activities took place.

The earliest recorded instances of the Plaza surname can be found in medieval Spanish documents and records from the 13th and 14th centuries. During this period, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Plaça," "Placa," and "Plaça de la Vila," reflecting the linguistic evolution of the Spanish language over time.

One of the earliest known individuals with the Plaza surname was Pedro de la Plaza, a Spanish nobleman who lived in the late 13th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Alfonso X of Castile and León and is mentioned in several historical chronicles from that era.

Another notable bearer of the Plaza name was Juan de Plaza, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 16th century. Juan de Plaza played a significant role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and is mentioned in several historical accounts of that time.

In the 17th century, a man named Diego de Plaza y Tapia was a renowned architect who worked on various projects in Spain and its colonies. His most famous work is the Church of San Francisco in Havana, Cuba, which he designed and oversaw the construction of in the 1630s.

During the 18th century, Sebastián de Plaza y Carvajal was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Puerto Rico from 1771 to 1776. He played a crucial role in strengthening the island's defenses and improving its infrastructure during his tenure.

In the 19th century, Andrés Plaza was a prominent Spanish painter known for his landscapes and scenes of everyday life. He was born in 1825 and gained recognition for his works depicting the countryside and rural communities of Spain.

While these are just a few examples, the Plaza surname has a rich history spanning centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who carried this name throughout the ages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Plaza

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!