2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Plecas
A surname likely of Greek origin meaning feather or plume.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Plecas. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plecas 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Plecas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plecas, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plecas
The surname Plecas is believed to originate from the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, most likely from the Balkan peninsula. The name likely has its roots in the Old Church Slavonic language, which was widely used in the region during the medieval period.
One theory suggests that the name Plecas may be derived from the Slavic word "plecha," which means "shoulder" or "upper arm." This could indicate that the name may have been a descriptive nickname given to someone with broad shoulders or a strong physique. Another possibility is that the name is connected to the Slavic word "plekha," which means "blade" or "plate," potentially referring to an occupation or trade related to metalworking.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Plecas can be traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries in various historical records from the Balkans. One notable mention is found in a land registry from the city of Ragusa (modern-day Dubrovnik, Croatia) in the late 16th century, where a family with the surname Plecas is listed among the landowners.
In the 18th century, the name appears in church records from the region of Vojvodina (present-day Serbia and Croatia), indicating the presence of Plecas families in that area. One such record from 1732 mentions a certain Jovan Plecas, who was a respected member of the local community.
As the Balkans were under Ottoman rule for several centuries, variations of the name Plecas can also be found in Turkish records from the region. For instance, an Ottoman tax register from the late 17th century lists a family named "Pelekçi," which could be a phonetic adaptation of the Slavic name Plecas.
One notable figure bearing the surname Plecas was Miloš Plecas, a Serbian military officer and hero of the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century. He played a crucial role in several battles and was known for his bravery and leadership.
Another individual of note was Jovan Plecas (1839-1919), a Serbian writer and journalist who was active in the cultural and literary circles of his time. He was a prominent figure in the Serbian literary renaissance and contributed to the development of modern Serbian literature.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname Plecas can be found among Serbian and Croatian immigrants who settled in various parts of the world, including North America and Australia, often retaining the original spelling or adopting variations due to transliteration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plecas
Among Census respondents with the surname Plecas, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Plecas 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 Plecas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 100
- Two or more races5.3% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plecas
Plecas 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+7 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,345 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 758 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 2,345 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 758 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 Plecas 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 | #147,253 | #146,495 | 0.5% |
| Count | 112 | 114 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plecas bearers went from 112 to 114 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 758 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #146,495.
FAQ
Plecas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plecas?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Plecas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Plecas?
Plecas ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Plecas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Plecas.
Has Plecas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plecas went from 112 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Plecas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plecas, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Plecas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plecas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Two or More Races (5.3%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Plecas (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 Plecas mean?
A surname likely of Greek origin meaning feather or plume. 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 Plecas (0.04 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 people have the surname Plecas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.