2000
#35,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 593
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Plambeck
A locational German surname derived from the place name Plambeck.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 717 Americans carry the last name Plambeck. That puts it at #38,180 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 478,040 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plambeck 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
717
1 in 478,040
Census rank
#38,180
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
625
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 625 bearers of the surname Plambeck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38180th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plambeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plambeck
The surname Plambeck has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from a place name, possibly derived from the Old German words "plam" meaning "flat" and "beck" meaning "brook" or "stream." This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a flat or shallow stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Plambeck can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, Germany. In this collection, a certain Henricus Plambeke is mentioned in a document dated 1303.
During the 14th century, variations of the name, such as Plambeke and Plambeke, appeared in various records across northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Lower Saxony and Bremen. This suggests that the name was relatively widespread in these areas during that time period.
In the 15th century, the name Plambeck appeared in the Lüneburg Ratslinie, a chronicle of the city council members of Lüneburg, Lower Saxony. One notable individual was Cord Plambeck, who served as a councilman in Lüneburg in the year 1478.
Throughout the following centuries, the Plambeck family continued to be documented in various records across northern Germany. One prominent figure was Johann Plambeck (1609-1669), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor of law at the University of Helmstedt.
Another notable individual was Friedrich Plambeck (1846-1926), a German sculptor and painter who studied at the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin and became known for his monumental sculptures and architectural decorations.
In more recent times, the name Plambeck has been associated with several individuals in various fields, such as Hans-Jürgen Plambeck (1941-2019), a German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union party, and Gabriele Plambeck (born 1959), a German actress and writer.
While the surname Plambeck has its roots in northern Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period and the place names associated with the flat or shallow streams in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plambeck
Among Census respondents with the surname Plambeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Plambeck 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 Plambeck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 569
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 24
- Two or more races3.0% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plambeck
Plambeck 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
#36,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 620
+27 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 357 places
2020
#38,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 625
+5 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 2,026 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #35,797 | 593 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #36,154 | 620 | 0.21 | +27 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 357 places |
| 2020 | #38,180 | 625 | 0.21 | +5 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 2,026 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 Plambeck 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 | #36,154 | #38,180 | -5.6% |
| Count | 620 | 625 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.21 | -0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plambeck bearers went from 620 to 625 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 2,026 positions in the national ranking, going from #36,154 to #38,180.
FAQ
Plambeck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plambeck?
Name Census estimates that about 717 living Americans carry the surname Plambeck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 478,040 residents.
How common is Plambeck?
Plambeck ranks #38,180 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 625 people with the surname Plambeck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (717), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Plambeck.
Has Plambeck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plambeck went from 620 recorded bearers to 625. That is an increase of 5 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #36,154 to #38,180.
What does the Census say about the background of Plambeck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plambeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Plambeck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (569 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plambeck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Plambeck (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 Plambeck mean?
A locational German surname derived from the place name Plambeck. 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 Plambeck (0.21 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 many people have the last name Plambeck?
If you just want to know how many people are called Plambeck, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.