2000
#112,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Plasket
A locational surname derived from a place name in northern England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Plasket. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plasket 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Plasket in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plasket, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plasket
The surname Plasket is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place called Plashett or Plashet, both of which were old spellings for a small locality or hamlet.
One theory suggests that the name Plasket may have originated from the Old English words "ploesc" or "ploesc-hyt," meaning a pool or a small body of water. This could indicate that the original bearers of the name may have lived near a pool or a marshy area.
Another possibility is that the name Plasket is derived from the Old English word "plaesc," meaning a detached piece of land or a small plot. This could suggest that the original bearers of the name were landowners or resided on a small, detached piece of land.
The earliest known record of the surname Plasket dates back to the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it is listed as "Richard de Plaschet." This document was a survey of landowners and their holdings, indicating that the Plasket family had established roots in Oxfordshire by the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various records with different spellings, such as "Plaschet," "Plasched," and "Plaschett." This variation was common during that time due to the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping.
One notable individual with the surname Plasket was John Plasket, who was born in Gloucestershire, England, around 1550. He was a renowned clockmaker and is credited with introducing the striking mechanism to clocks, a significant innovation in timekeeping during the Elizabethan era.
Another individual of note was William Plasket, born in Yorkshire, England, in 1612. He was a prominent merchant and trader involved in the transatlantic trade between England and the American colonies.
In the 18th century, the Plasket family had established a presence in various parts of England, including Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Yorkshire. One member, Thomas Plasket (1710-1785), was a respected landowner and magistrate in Oxfordshire.
In the 19th century, the name Plasket gained recognition through the work of James Plasket (1820-1892), a celebrated English architect who designed several notable buildings, including churches and public institutions in London and the surrounding areas.
Another notable figure was Robert Plasket (1868-1941), an English-born Canadian astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of variable stars and was instrumental in establishing the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria, British Columbia.
While the surname Plasket has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand, primarily due to migration and the expansion of the British Empire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plasket
Among Census respondents with the surname Plasket, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Plasket 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 Plasket surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino8.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plasket
Plasket 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
#120,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
-1 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,934 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-24 bearers (-16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,887 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,967 | 144 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #120,901 | 143 | 0.05 | -1 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 7,934 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-16.8%) | Down 21,887 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 Plasket 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 | #120,901 | #142,788 | -18.1% |
| Count | 143 | 119 | -16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plasket bearers went from 143 to 119 (-16.8% change). The surname moved down 21,887 positions in the national ranking, going from #120,901 to #142,788.
FAQ
Plasket surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plasket?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Plasket. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Plasket?
Plasket ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Plasket. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Plasket.
Has Plasket become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plasket went from 143 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 24 (-16.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #120,901 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Plasket?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plasket, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%). 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 Plasket in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plasket appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (8.4%). 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 Plasket (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 Plasket mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in northern England. 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 Plasket (0.04 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 surname Plasket?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.