2000
#11,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,407
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Plaster
An occupational surname referring to a tradesperson who applies plaster to walls, ceilings, or other surfaces.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,667 Americans carry the last name Plaster. That puts it at #12,677 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,517 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plaster 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 Plaster with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 128,517
Census rank
#12,677
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,326 bearers of the surname Plaster in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12677th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plaster, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plaster
The surname Plaster has its origins in the English language and is believed to have first emerged in the 13th century. It is an occupational name, derived from the Old English word "plastrere," referring to someone who worked as a plasterer or applied plaster to walls and ceilings.
This surname was commonly found in areas of England where the plastering trade was prevalent, particularly in the counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 13th century, with mentions in various tax rolls and parish records.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Robert le Plastrer, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. Additionally, the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1279 mention a certain William le Plastrere.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Plasterer, Playstere, and Playster, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that time period. The Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379 include an entry for a John Plastrer.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the surname continued to be found in various English records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1524, which listed a Thomas Playster, and the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1570, which mentioned a Richard Plaster.
Notable individuals with the surname Plaster throughout history include:
1. John Plaster (c. 1600-1670), an English landowner and member of the Virginia House of Burgesses.
2. Thomas Plaster (1689-1753), a British architect and surveyor best known for his work on St. Paul's Church in Shadwell, London.
3. Elizabeth Plaster (1760-1835), a British author and poet who published several works, including "The Poetical Miscellany" in 1802.
4. William Plaster (1805-1876), an English inventor and engineer who patented several improvements to the steam engine.
5. Henry Plaster (1836-1919), an American Civil War soldier who served in the Union Army and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery at the Battle of Gettysburg.
While the surname Plaster has its roots in the English occupation of plastering, it has since spread to various parts of the world and continues to be a recognizable surname in many countries today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plaster
Among Census respondents with the surname Plaster, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Plaster 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 Plaster surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 2,053
- Two or more races5.2% · 121
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 49
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plaster
Plaster 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
#11,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,646
+239 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 81 places
2020
#12,677
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,326
-320 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 848 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,910 | 2,407 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,829 | 2,646 | 0.90 | +239 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 81 places |
| 2020 | #12,677 | 2,326 | 0.78 | -320 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 848 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 Plaster 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 | #11,829 | #12,677 | -7.2% |
| Count | 2,646 | 2,326 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.78 | -13.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plaster bearers went from 2,646 to 2,326 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 848 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,829 to #12,677.
FAQ
Plaster surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plaster?
Name Census estimates that about 2,667 living Americans carry the surname Plaster. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,517 residents.
How common is Plaster?
Plaster ranks #12,677 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,326 people with the surname Plaster. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,667), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Plaster.
Has Plaster become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plaster went from 2,646 recorded bearers to 2,326. That is a decrease of 320 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,829 to #12,677.
What does the Census say about the background of Plaster?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plaster, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Plaster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (2,053 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plaster appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Plaster (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 Plaster mean?
An occupational surname referring to a tradesperson who applies plaster to walls, ceilings, or other surfaces. 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 Plaster (0.78 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 Plaster?
If you just want to know how many people are called Plaster, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.