2010
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Plessala
A locational surname referring to someone from Plessala, a town in northwestern France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Plessala. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plessala 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Plessala in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plessala, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plessala
The surname Plessala has its origins in the Brittany region of northwestern France. It is derived from the place name Plessala, a small town located in the department of Côtes-d'Armor. The name Plessala itself is thought to come from the Breton words "plou" meaning parish and "Sala" which was likely the name of a local saint or landowner.
The earliest known record of the name Plessala dates back to the 12th century, where it appears in the cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Aubin-des-Bois. This medieval manuscript lists several individuals with the surname Plessala, suggesting that the name was already well-established in the region at that time.
In the 13th century, the name Plessala can be found in the records of the Duchy of Brittany, where it is spelled in various ways such as "Plessalay" and "Plessalé". This indicates that the surname had begun to spread beyond its original location and was being adapted to different local dialects and spellings.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Plessala was Olivier de Plessala, a Breton knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453). He is mentioned in several contemporary chronicles and is believed to have been born around 1320.
Another notable figure with the surname Plessala was Jean de Plessala, a 16th-century poet and writer from Brittany. He was born in the town of Plessala around 1520 and is best known for his collection of poems titled "Les Marguerites Bretonnes" (The Breton Daisies), published in 1567.
In the 17th century, the name Plessala appears in the records of the Parish of Saint-Gilles in Paris, where a family with this surname had settled. One of its members, François de Plessala (1635-1702), was a prominent lawyer and magistrate in the Parlement of Paris.
Other notable individuals with the surname Plessala include Marie-Thérèse de Plessala (1755-1834), a French noblewoman and philanthropist who was active during the French Revolution, and Yves de Plessala (1880-1942), a Breton writer and journalist who helped promote the preservation of the Breton language and culture.
While the surname Plessala has its roots in the Brittany region of France, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration and migration. However, its origins can be traced back to the small town of Plessala and its long history in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plessala
Among Census respondents with the surname Plessala, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Plessala 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 Plessala surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 118
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plessala
Plessala appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 1,152 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 Plessala 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 | #140,157 | #141,309 | -0.8% |
| Count | 119 | 121 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plessala bearers went from 119 to 121 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 1,152 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #141,309.
FAQ
Plessala surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plessala?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Plessala. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Plessala?
Plessala ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Plessala. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Plessala.
Has Plessala become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plessala went from 119 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Plessala?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plessala, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Plessala in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plessala appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Black (0.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Plessala (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 Plessala mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Plessala, a town in northwestern France. 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 Plessala (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 are called Plessala?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Plessala on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.