2000
#6,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,705
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.74
Rare Last name
Plaza
A Spanish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a town square or marketplace.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,988 Americans carry the last name Plaza. That puts it at #5,508 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,049 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plaza 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Plaza with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.0K
1 in 49,049
Census rank
#5,508
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,094 bearers of the surname Plaza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5508th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plaza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 75.9%. The next largest groups are White (16.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plaza
Among Census respondents with the surname Plaza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 75.9%. The next largest groups are White (16.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Plaza 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 Plaza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino75.9% · 4,623
- White16.6% · 1,012
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 255
- Black or African American2.2% · 132
- Two or more races0.9% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plaza
Plaza 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
#5,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,075
+1,370 bearers (+29.1%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Up 922 places
2020
#5,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,094
+19 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Up 201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,631 | 4,705 | 1.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,709 | 6,075 | 2.06 | +1,370 bearers (+29.1%) | Up 922 places |
| 2020 | #5,508 | 6,094 | 2.04 | +19 bearers (+0.3%) | Up 201 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 Plaza 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 | #5,709 | #5,508 | 3.5% |
| Count | 6,075 | 6,094 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.06 | 2.04 | -1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plaza bearers went from 6,075 to 6,094 (+0.3% change). The surname moved up 201 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,709 to #5,508.
FAQ
Plaza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plaza?
Name Census estimates that about 6,988 living Americans carry the surname Plaza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,049 residents.
How common is Plaza?
Plaza ranks #5,508 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,094 people with the surname Plaza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,988), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Plaza.
Has Plaza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plaza went from 6,075 recorded bearers to 6,094. That is an increase of 19 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,709 to #5,508.
What does the Census say about the background of Plaza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plaza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 75.9%. The next largest groups are White (16.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). 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 Plaza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.9% (4,623 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plaza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (75.9%), White (16.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). 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 Plaza (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 Plaza mean?
A Spanish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a town square or marketplace. 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 Plaza (2.04 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 many Americans have the surname Plaza?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.