Plumer
A variant of the surname derived from the Old French word "plumer" meaning feather worker or feathermaker.
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Plumer. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 75.0% of registrations being male. The average person named Plumer today is around 125 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Plumer births was 1919 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Plumer. 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 Plumer is about 125 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Plumers were born before 1911.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Plumer. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1919
15 babies that year
Average age
125
years old
1931 SSA rank
#3,666
Tracked since 1915
Gender
Gender distribution for Plumer
Plumer is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 96 total registrations, 72 (75.0%) were male and 24 (25.0%) were female.
Plumer as a male name
- Ranked #3,666 in 1931
- 6 male births in 1931
- Peak: 1916 (8 births)
Plumer as a female name
- Ranked #5,701 in 1921
- 5 female births in 1921
- Peak: 1919 (8 births)
Popularity
Plumer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Plumer from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 48 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
Plumer 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 Plumer 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 Plumer
The name Plumer has its origins in the Old French language and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the French word "plume," which means feather or plume. This suggests that the name may have originally been used as an occupational surname for someone who worked with feathers, such as a feather merchant or a quill maker.
In the Middle Ages, feathers were a valuable commodity used for quill pens, bedding, and ornamentation. As a result, those involved in the feather trade or related professions may have adopted the name Plumer as a way to identify their occupation.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Plumer can be found in English historical records from the 13th century. One notable bearer of this name was Sir Walter Plumer, an English knight who fought in the Battle of Crecy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346.
In the 16th century, the name gained prominence with Sir Thomas Plumer, an English lawyer and Member of Parliament who lived from 1508 to 1573. He served as the Attorney General for England and Wales during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another historically significant figure with this name was Thomas Plumer, an American jurist and politician who lived from 1753 to 1828. He served as a United States Senator from New Hampshire and was also a prominent lawyer and legal scholar.
In the literary realm, the name Plumer is associated with Mary Wright Plumer, an American writer and educator who lived from 1856 to 1916. She was a pioneer in the field of children's literature and wrote several popular books for young readers.
Lastly, one cannot overlook the contribution of Sir Herbert Plumer, a British Army officer who played a significant role in World War I. Born in 1857 and died in 1932, he commanded the British Second Army during the Battle of Messines in 1917 and the final Allied offensive of the war in 1918.
While the name Plumer may not be as common today as it once was, its rich historical legacy spanning centuries and various fields serves as a testament to the enduring impact of those who bore this name throughout history.
People
Plumer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Plumer 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
Plumer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Plumer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Plumer 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 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Plumer a common name?
We classify Plumer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 96 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Plumer most popular?
The single biggest year for Plumer was 1919, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Plumer is about 125 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 Plumer in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Plumer a male name?
Yes, 75.0% of people registered as Plumer 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 Plumer still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Plumer 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 Plumer 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 have Plumer as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Plumer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.