2000
#5,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,832
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.16
Rare Last name
Plant
An English occupational surname referring to a gardener, planter, or someone who worked with plants or planted seeds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,337 Americans carry the last name Plant. That puts it at #5,998 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,088 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plant 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Plant with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.3K
1 in 54,088
Census rank
#5,998
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,526 bearers of the surname Plant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5998th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plant, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plant
The surname Plant originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "plante," meaning a young tree or seedling. The Plant family likely took their name from residing near a plantation or nursery of young trees.
One of the earliest known references to the Plant surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a Robert Plant. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, listing a John Plant as a taxpayer.
In the 14th century, the Plant name is recorded in several manorial records and legal documents from various counties in England, including Yorkshire, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire. This suggests that the family had already spread to different regions by this time.
The Plantagenet family, who ruled England from 1154 to 1485, may have influenced the popularity of the Plant surname. While not directly related, the name Plantagenet is believed to have derived from the Latin "planta genista," meaning a broom plant or broom tree.
Notable individuals with the Plant surname throughout history include:
1. Thomas Plant (c. 1540-1622), an English poet and playwright during the Elizabethan era.
2. Matthias Plant (1642-1719), a Dutch botanist and author of the influential "Plantarum Historia" (History of Plants).
3. Sir Henry Plant (1819-1899), a British businessman and founder of the Plant Steamship Company, which operated in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.
4. Robert Plant (born 1948), the iconic lead singer of the legendary rock band Led Zeppelin.
5. Michael Plant (born 1950), a British actor known for his roles in television series such as "Inspector Morse" and "Foyle's War."
The Plant surname has evolved over the centuries, with variations including Plante, Plauntt, and Plaunt appearing in historical records. It has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Plantford in Buckinghamshire and Plantagenet in Norfolk, further reinforcing its connection to the natural world and plant life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plant
Among Census respondents with the surname Plant, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Plant 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 Plant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.5% · 4,395
- Black or African American10.4% · 575
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 227
- Two or more races3.8% · 211
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plant
Plant 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
#5,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,858
+26 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.99
Rank movement Down 407 places
2020
#5,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,526
-332 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,483 | 5,832 | 2.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,890 | 5,858 | 1.99 | +26 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 407 places |
| 2020 | #5,998 | 5,526 | 1.85 | -332 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 108 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 Plant 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 | #5,890 | #5,998 | -1.8% |
| Count | 5,858 | 5,526 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.99 | 1.85 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plant bearers went from 5,858 to 5,526 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 108 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,890 to #5,998.
FAQ
Plant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plant?
Name Census estimates that about 6,337 living Americans carry the surname Plant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,088 residents.
How common is Plant?
Plant ranks #5,998 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,526 people with the surname Plant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,337), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Plant.
Has Plant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plant went from 5,858 recorded bearers to 5,526. That is a decrease of 332 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,890 to #5,998.
What does the Census say about the background of Plant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plant, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Plant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (4,395 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.5%), Black (10.4%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Plant (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 Plant mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a gardener, planter, or someone who worked with plants or planted seeds. 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 Plant (1.85 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 common is the surname Plant?
See how many people have the last name Plant on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.