2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Plasman
An ancient surname meaning someone who lived near a plantation or worked on a plantation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Plasman. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plasman 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Plasman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plasman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plasman
The surname Plasman has its origins in the Netherlands, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "plas," which means a small pool or puddle, and the suffix "man," indicating a person associated with or living near pools or puddles.
The earliest known record of the name Plasman can be found in the Dutch province of Friesland, where it was commonly used among families living in areas with numerous small bodies of water or marshy lands. The name was likely given as a descriptive moniker to individuals who resided or worked near these bodies of water.
In the 17th century, the Plasman name appeared in various Dutch historical records, including church registers and municipal documents. One notable individual from this period was Pieter Plasman, a merchant from Amsterdam who was born in 1625 and was involved in the Dutch East India Company's trade with Indonesia.
As the Dutch explored and settled in other parts of the world, the Plasman name spread to various colonies and territories. In the 18th century, a family by the name of Plasman settled in the Cape Colony (present-day South Africa), where they established themselves as farmers and landowners.
During the 19th century, the Plasman name gained prominence in Europe. Jan Plasman, born in 1812 in the Netherlands, was a renowned painter known for his landscapes and seascapes. His works are displayed in several museums across the Netherlands and Belgium.
Another notable individual with the Plasman surname was Hendrik Plasman, a Dutch politician and diplomat who lived from 1836 to 1923. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Netherlands from 1891 to 1894 and played a crucial role in shaping the country's international relations during that period.
In the 20th century, the Plasman name continued to be associated with various fields. Dirk Plasman, born in 1910 in the Netherlands, was a celebrated architect renowned for his innovative designs and contributions to modern architecture in his home country.
While the Plasman surname is predominantly Dutch in origin, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, as well as in countries with significant Dutch immigration, such as the United States, Canada, and South Africa. Despite its varied geographical spread, the name retains its connection to its Dutch roots and the historical significance of its association with water bodies and marshy lands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plasman
Among Census respondents with the surname Plasman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Plasman 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 Plasman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 99
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plasman
Plasman 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-15 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,708 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-7 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,243 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 22,708 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 5,243 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 Plasman 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 | #148,347 | #153,590 | -3.5% |
| Count | 111 | 104 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plasman bearers went from 111 to 104 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 5,243 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #153,590.
FAQ
Plasman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plasman?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Plasman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Plasman?
Plasman ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Plasman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Plasman.
Has Plasman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plasman went from 111 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Plasman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plasman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Plasman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plasman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Plasman (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 Plasman mean?
An ancient surname meaning someone who lived near a plantation or worked on a plantation. 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 Plasman (0.03 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 Plasman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.