Explore the Family Name Palanca

The meaning of Palanca

Spanish: nickname from palanca ‘lever’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Palanca in the United States?

Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Palanca has significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the name jumped from 62577 in 2000 to 51723 by 2010, marking a positive change of 17.35%. Additionally, the count of individuals bearing the surname grew from 299 to 402, indicating a substantial rise by 34.45%. The proportion per 100k also escalated from 0.11 to 0.14 during this decade, showing an increase of 27.27%.

20002010Change
Rank#62,577#51,72317.35%
Count29940234.45%
Proportion per 100k0.110.1427.27%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Palanca

Moving on to the ethnic identity associated with the surname Palanca, again based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, there's been a marked shift in the distribution among different groups. There's been a notable increase in the Asian/Pacific Islander group who carry the Palanca surname, going up from 58.19% in 2000 to 70.4% in 2010, a rise of nearly 21%. On the other hand, the White and Hispanic groups saw a decrease in their representation, with the former dropping from 32.11% to 23.63%, and the latter from 6.02% to 2.99%. Interestingly, the percentage of people identifying as two or more races also slightly decreased, while no changes were observed among those identifying as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander58.19%70.4%20.98%
White32.11%23.63%-26.41%
Hispanic6.02%2.99%-50.33%
Two or More Races2.68%2.24%-16.42%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%