Explore the Family Name Pla

The meaning of Pla

Catalan and southern French: topographic name from pla ‘plain, plateau’, denoting someone who lived on an area of flat ground, or a habitational name from any of numerous places called Pla (from Latin planum ‘plain, plateau’). Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Angel, Jaime, Luis, Bernardo, Mario, Carlos, Francisco, Javier, Jorge, Leandro, Miguel, Nestor. French Jeanmarie, Philippe.

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

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

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Pla has seen a surge in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname ranked 27,821 in popularity, but by 2010 it had jumped up to rank 26,143, indicating a 6.03% increase. The number of individuals carrying this surname also grew significantly during this period, with a count of 813 in 2000 rising to 936 in 2010, representing a 15.13% increase. The proportion per 100,000 people also increased from 0.3 to 0.32, marking a 6.67% change.

20002010Change
Rank#27,821#26,1436.03%
Count81393615.13%
Proportion per 100k0.30.326.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pla

In terms of ethnicity for the surname Pla, the Decennial U.S. Census data provides an intriguing overview. From 2000 to 2010, there was a slight rise in the number of individuals identifying as Hispanic, from 71.96% to 72.76%. The percentage of individuals identifying as White slightly decreased, moving from 19.43% to 19.02%, while those identifying as Black saw a significant decrease from 7.50% to 5.98%. Interestingly, the percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander went from zero in 2000 to 1.50% in 2010. There were no reported changes in the categories of "Two or more races", and "American Indian and Alaskan Native".

20002010Change
Hispanic71.96%72.76%1.11%
White19.43%19.02%-2.11%
Black7.5%5.98%-20.27%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%1.5%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%