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

Pleitez, 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 Pleitez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pleitez in America

Pleitez is the 15964th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pleitez surname appeared 1,819 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Pleitez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pleitez 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 Pleitez

The surname Pleitez has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Castilian Spanish word "pleito," meaning a legal dispute or lawsuit. This suggests that the name may have been originally associated with individuals involved in legal proceedings or those who worked in the judicial system.

During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, particularly in the 16th and 17th centuries, many Spanish settlers and explorers brought their surnames to the New World. It is likely that the name Pleitez was introduced to the region during this period, potentially carried by early Spanish colonists or officials who ventured to the present-day Central American countries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pleitez can be found in the archives of the Spanish Inquisition, where a Juan Pleitez was mentioned in a document dated 1598. This document pertained to an investigation conducted in the city of Seville, Spain.

In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the name Pleitez was José Pleitez, a Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish army during the Napoleonic Wars. He participated in several campaigns against the French forces and was renowned for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.

Another historical figure of note was Tomás Pleitez, a prominent landowner and agriculturalist from El Salvador in the late 19th century. He played a significant role in the development of the country's coffee industry and was widely respected for his contributions to the economy and society.

In the 20th century, Maximiano Hernández Martínez, a Salvadoran politician and military leader who served as the President of El Salvador from 1931 to 1944, had Pleitez as his maternal surname. His full name was Maximiano Hernández Pleitez.

Additionally, Joaquín Pleitez was a renowned Salvadoran artist and painter who lived from 1920 to 1995. His works, which often depicted scenes of everyday life and landscapes, are considered an important part of the country's cultural heritage.

While the surname Pleitez is most commonly found in El Salvador and other Central American countries, it has also been carried by individuals of Spanish or Hispanic descent in various parts of the world, reflecting the far-reaching impact of Spanish colonization and migration patterns.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pleitez

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

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

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

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