Place
A surname for someone who lived at or near a notable residence, hall, or open place in a town.
The #4,862 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 42,580 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This name is usually explained as a topographic surname from Middle English and Anglo-French place, meaning an open space, town square, or a large house or mansion. The deeper root goes back to Latin platea, "broad street" or "open space," ultimately from Greek plateia. In surname use, it likely began with someone described as "at the place," that is, a person living by a hall, court, or similar substantial dwelling.
History
Historical records cited by early surname writers include forms such as John atte Place in 14th-century Somerset. In later English usage, "place" could also mean a country house, which helped reinforce the surname's association with a residence or estate. The name is found chiefly in England and is relatively uncommon in the modern United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early writers noted that in some southern English counties, a big house was commonly called a "place," not a "hall," which helps explain the surname.
From the historical record
“2 for Pinxton, q.v. PLACE (A.-Fr.-Lat.-Gr.) Dweller at a Place, i.e. a Hall or Country Mansion [Fr. place, a place, town, square ; Lat. platea, Gr. TrXoTeid (iem. of irXaris, wide), a broad street] John atte Place. — Subsidy Roll (Soms.); A.D. 1327. In the 17th century the term 'place- house' was used to denote a…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)