2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pleggenkuhle
A habitational surname of German origin referring to a small hollow or depression.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Pleggenkuhle. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pleggenkuhle 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Pleggenkuhle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pleggenkuhle, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pleggenkuhle
The surname PLEGGENKUHLE is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Germany, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is thought to be derived from a combination of older Germanic words, with "pleggen" possibly referring to a small meadow or pasture, and "kuhle" meaning a small hollow or depression in the landscape. This suggests the name may have initially been used to describe someone who lived near or owned such a geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a registry of land ownership from the town of Lübeck, dated 1627, which lists a "Johann Pleggenkuhle" as the holder of a modest parcel of farmland. There are also references to individuals with similar spellings, such as "Pleggenkuhl" and "Pleggenkuel," in various church records and municipal documents from the region during the 17th and 18th centuries.
The name PLEGGENKUHLE appears to have remained relatively uncommon and localized to northern Germany until the 19th century, when increased urbanization and migration led to its gradual spread throughout the country and beyond. Notable individuals bearing this surname include:
1. Friedrich Pleggenkuhle (1786-1854), a merchant and banker from Hamburg who played a significant role in the city's economic development during the early 19th century.
2. Elise Pleggenkuhle (1831-1903), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in Prussia, who founded several schools for girls in Berlin.
3. Otto Pleggenkuhle (1867-1942), a German military officer who served in the colonial forces in German East Africa and later became a vocal supporter of the Nazi party.
4. Gerhard Pleggenkuhle (1912-1998), a renowned architect and urban planner who designed several iconic buildings and public spaces in post-war West Germany.
5. Ingrid Pleggenkuhle (born 1946), a celebrated classical pianist and music educator, who has performed extensively throughout Europe and taught at the prestigious Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich.
While the surname PLEGGENKUHLE remains relatively uncommon outside of its northern German origins, it has nevertheless persisted through the centuries and can be found among families and individuals across various parts of the world today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pleggenkuhle
Among Census respondents with the surname Pleggenkuhle, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pleggenkuhle 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 Pleggenkuhle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 114
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pleggenkuhle
Pleggenkuhle 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+10 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 250 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-17 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,710 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.2%) | Down 250 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 16,710 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 Pleggenkuhle 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 | #129,047 | #145,757 | -12.9% |
| Count | 132 | 115 | -12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pleggenkuhle bearers went from 132 to 115 (-12.9% change). The surname moved down 16,710 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #145,757.
FAQ
Pleggenkuhle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pleggenkuhle?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Pleggenkuhle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Pleggenkuhle?
Pleggenkuhle ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Pleggenkuhle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Pleggenkuhle.
Has Pleggenkuhle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pleggenkuhle went from 132 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 17 (-12.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Pleggenkuhle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pleggenkuhle, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%). 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 Pleggenkuhle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pleggenkuhle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Black (0.9%). 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 Pleggenkuhle (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 Pleggenkuhle mean?
A habitational surname of German origin referring to a small hollow or depression. 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 Pleggenkuhle (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 common is the surname Pleggenkuhle?
You can see how many people have the surname Pleggenkuhle on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.