2000
#14,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,937
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Pleasants
A locational surname derived from the name of a former village in Surrey, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,093 Americans carry the last name Pleasants. That puts it at #15,460 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,762 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pleasants 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 Pleasants with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 163,762
Census rank
#15,460
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,825 bearers of the surname Pleasants in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15460th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pleasants, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pleasants
The Pleasants surname has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old French word "plaisant," which means pleasant or agreeable. The name likely originated as a nickname for someone with a pleasant or friendly demeanor.
In the medieval period, surnames were often descriptive, referring to a person's physical characteristics, occupation, or place of origin. The Pleasants surname falls into the category of descriptive surnames, specifically referring to a personal trait or characteristic.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pleasants surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were census records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. The name appears as "le Plesaunt," reflecting the Old French spelling.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the surname began to appear in various spellings, such as Pleysaunt, Plesaunt, and Pleasants, reflecting the evolution of English spelling and pronunciation over time.
Notable historical figures with the Pleasants surname include:
1. John Pleasants (c. 1597-1677), an early English settler in Virginia and a prominent planter in Henrico County.
2. Robert Pleasants (1723-1801), an American Quaker and merchant who played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War.
3. Jonathan Pleasants (1787-1859), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and the Virginia Governor's Council.
4. James Pleasants Jr. (1769-1836), an American planter and politician who served as the Governor of Virginia from 1822 to 1825.
5. John Hampden Pleasants (1797-1858), an American physician and writer who authored several medical works and served as the editor of the Virginia Medical and Surgical Journal.
The Pleasants surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Pleasants Hill in Leicestershire, and Pleasants Farm in Kent, suggesting that some individuals may have adopted the surname based on their place of origin or residence.
While the Pleasants surname can be traced back to medieval England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, carried by individuals of English descent who emigrated from the British Isles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pleasants
Among Census respondents with the surname Pleasants, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pleasants 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 Pleasants surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.2% · 1,227
- Black or African American24.6% · 449
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 66
- Two or more races3.5% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pleasants
Pleasants 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
#15,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,917
-20 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1,097 places
2020
#15,460
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,825
-92 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 151 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,212 | 1,937 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,309 | 1,917 | 0.65 | -20 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 1,097 places |
| 2020 | #15,460 | 1,825 | 0.61 | -92 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 151 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 Pleasants 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 | #15,309 | #15,460 | -1.0% |
| Count | 1,917 | 1,825 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.61 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pleasants bearers went from 1,917 to 1,825 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 151 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,309 to #15,460.
FAQ
Pleasants surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pleasants?
Name Census estimates that about 2,093 living Americans carry the surname Pleasants. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,762 residents.
How common is Pleasants?
Pleasants ranks #15,460 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,825 people with the surname Pleasants. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,093), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Pleasants.
Has Pleasants become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pleasants went from 1,917 recorded bearers to 1,825. That is a decrease of 92 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,309 to #15,460.
What does the Census say about the background of Pleasants?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pleasants, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pleasants in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.2% (1,227 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pleasants appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.2%), Black (24.6%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Pleasants (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 Pleasants mean?
A locational surname derived from the name of a former village in Surrey, England. 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 Pleasants (0.61 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 are called Pleasants?
Want to know how many people have the surname Pleasants? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.