Plez
Of English origin, a variant spelling of the name Please.
Name Census estimates that about 16 living Americans carry the first name Plez. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Plez today is around 83 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Plez births was 1941 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Plez. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Plez is about 83 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Plez' were born before 1953.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Plez. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
16
~ 1 in 21,422,146 Americans
Peak year
1941
8 babies that year
Average age
83
years old
1962 SSA rank
#3,550
Tracked since 1892
Popularity
Plez: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Plez from the 1890s through to the 1960s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 35 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Plez by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Plez during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Plez
The given name Plez is believed to have originated from the Old French language, derived from the Latin word "placere," which means "to please" or "to be pleasing." Its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century, when French-speaking regions across Europe began adopting this name.
During the Medieval period, Plez was primarily used as a surname, often given to individuals who possessed a pleasing or affable demeanor. Over time, it gradually transitioned into a given name, although its usage remained relatively rare compared to more common names of the era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of Plez as a given name can be found in the chronicles of a French nobleman named Plez de Montfort, who lived in the late 12th century and played a significant role in the Third Crusade. However, it is unclear whether Plez was his given name or a surname adopted from his family's estate.
Another notable individual with the name Plez was Plez d'Avignon, a French troubadour and poet who lived in the 13th century. His works, which often celebrated courtly love and chivalry, were highly regarded during his lifetime and helped to popularize the name among the aristocratic circles of Southern France.
In the 15th century, a Dutch painter named Plez van der Weyden gained recognition for his religious-themed artworks, particularly his depictions of the Virgin Mary and Christ. Born in 1399, he was a prominent figure in the Early Netherlandish Renaissance and is considered one of the most influential artists of his time.
Moving forward to the 16th century, Plez de la Ramée, a French scholar and humanist, made significant contributions to the field of education. Born in 1515, he advocated for the use of vernacular languages in teaching and wrote several influential works on pedagogy and philosophy.
Lastly, in the 19th century, Plez Müller, a German composer and violinist, gained recognition for his compositions and performances. Born in 1822, he was a prominent figure in the Romantic era and helped to popularize the use of the name Plez among German-speaking regions.
While the name Plez has never achieved widespread popularity, its unique origins and historical associations have ensured its enduring presence, albeit in a more limited capacity, throughout various cultures and time periods.
People
Plez + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Plez as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Plez: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Plez?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Plez going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 21,422,146 US residents.
Is Plez a common name?
We classify Plez as "Very Rare". It ranks above 36.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 106 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Plez most popular?
The single biggest year for Plez was 1941, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Plez is about 83 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Plez in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Plez a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Plez in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Plez still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Plez in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Plez can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Plez?
Find out how many people have the name Plez on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.