Plummer
One skilled in working with plumbing materials and installations.
Name Census estimates that about 89 living Americans carry the first name Plummer. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Plummer today is around 80 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Plummer births was 1921 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Plummer. 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 Plummer is about 80 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Plummers were born before 1956.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Plummer. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
89
~ 1 in 3,851,172 Americans
Peak year
1921
19 babies that year
Average age
80
years old
1962 SSA rank
#3,930
Tracked since 1881
Popularity
Plummer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Plummer from the 1880s through to the 1960s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 118 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
Plummer 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 Plummer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Plummers live
Origin
Meaning and history of Plummer
The given name Plummer is derived from the Old English word "plumere," which means "plumber" or "worker with lead." It originated in medieval England, where plumbers were skilled artisans who worked with lead pipes and plumbing systems. The name likely emerged as a surname for those who practiced this trade.
In the Middle Ages, the name Plummer was associated with skilled craftsmen who were responsible for installing and maintaining water systems, baths, and sewers in monasteries, castles, and other important buildings. As these plumbers were highly valued for their expertise, the surname may have been adopted as a first name to denote pride in the profession.
The earliest recorded use of Plummer as a first name dates back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Plummer de Faversham, a renowned English plumber who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. He was responsible for designing and constructing complex plumbing systems in various religious establishments and noble residences.
Another notable figure was Sir Plummer Lawrence (1564-1629), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1624. He was a prominent figure in the city's commercial and civic affairs, and his name reflects the respect accorded to the plumbing trade during that era.
In the 17th century, Plummer Bacon (1639-1692) was an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He was known for his scholarly contributions and his role in preserving the college's historical records.
During the 18th century, Plummer Pettis (1728-1805) was an American planter and politician from Virginia. He served in the Virginia House of Burgesses and was a prominent figure in the early days of the United States.
In the 19th century, Plummer Woodard (1832-1905) was an American businessman and philanthropist from Massachusetts. He made a fortune in the textile industry and donated generously to various educational institutions, including the establishment of the Woodard Institute for Girls in Quincy, Massachusetts.
While the name Plummer is not as common today as it once was, its historical association with skilled craftsmen and respected professionals serves as a testament to the value placed on the plumbing trade throughout history.
People
Plummer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Plummer 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
Plummer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Plummer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 89 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Plummer 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 3,851,172 US residents.
Is Plummer a common name?
We classify Plummer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 453 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Plummer most popular?
The single biggest year for Plummer was 1921, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Plummer is about 80 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Plummer a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Plummer 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.
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.