Explore the Family Name Placek

The meaning of Placek

1. Polish: from placek ‘cake’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a pastry cook. This surname is also found in Slovakia and Czechia. 2. Czech (Plaček): nickname from plaček ‘moaner, weeper’, from pláč ‘weeping’. This surname is also found in Slovakia. Some characteristic forenames: Polish Krzysztof, Wieslaw, Casimir, Mariusz, Zbigniew.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Placek saw a slight decrease in popularity between the years 2000 and 2010. The rank dropped from 20,831 to 22,646, marking an 8.71% decline. Similarly, the count of individuals with this surname fell by 3.82%, going from 1,178 to 1,133. Consequently, the proportion per 100,000 people also decreased by 13.64%, moving from 0.44 to 0.38.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#20,831	#22,646	-8.71%
Count	1,178	1,133	-3.82%
Proportion per 100k	0.44	0.38	-13.64%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Placek

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some shifts within the Placek surname bearers between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by 47.62%, albeit from a small base, rising from 0.42% to 0.62%. Individuals identifying as Hispanic also saw a notable increase, growing by 68.38% from 1.36% to 2.29%. Conversely, those reporting as White decreased slightly by 1.77%, down to 95.06% from 96.77%. The percentage of those identifying with two or more races dropped marginally by 8.82%, resulting in a 2010 figure of 1.24%. No changes were observed among those identifying as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native.

	2000	2010	Change
White	96.77%	95.06%	-1.77%
Hispanic	1.36%	2.29%	68.38%
Two or More Races	1.36%	1.24%	-8.82%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.42%	0.62%	47.62%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%