2000
#23,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,029
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Pleitez
A surname originating from Spanish meaning someone who was involved in legal disputes or lawsuits.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,500 Americans carry the last name Pleitez. That puts it at #13,367 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,102 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pleitez 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
2.5K
1 in 137,102
Census rank
#13,367
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,180 bearers of the surname Pleitez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13367th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pleitez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pleitez
Among Census respondents with the surname Pleitez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Pleitez 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 Pleitez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino97.1% · 2,116
- White2.2% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- Two or more races0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pleitez
Pleitez appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#15,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,819
+790 bearers (+76.8%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 7,188 places
2020
#13,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,180
+361 bearers (+19.8%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 2,597 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,152 | 1,029 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,964 | 1,819 | 0.62 | +790 bearers (+76.8%) | Up 7,188 places |
| 2020 | #13,367 | 2,180 | 0.73 | +361 bearers (+19.8%) | Up 2,597 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 Pleitez 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 | #15,964 | #13,367 | 16.3% |
| Count | 1,819 | 2,180 | 19.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.73 | 17.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pleitez bearers went from 1,819 to 2,180 (+19.8% change). The surname moved up 2,597 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,964 to #13,367.
FAQ
Pleitez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pleitez?
Name Census estimates that about 2,500 living Americans carry the surname Pleitez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,102 residents.
How common is Pleitez?
Pleitez ranks #13,367 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,180 people with the surname Pleitez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,500), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pleitez.
Has Pleitez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pleitez went from 1,819 recorded bearers to 2,180. That is an increase of 361 (+19.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,964 to #13,367.
What does the Census say about the background of Pleitez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pleitez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pleitez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (2,116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pleitez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (97.1%), White (2.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%). 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 Pleitez (2000, 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 Pleitez mean?
A surname originating from Spanish meaning someone who was involved in legal disputes or lawsuits. 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 Pleitez (0.73 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 common is the surname Pleitez?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Pleitez is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.