2000
#12,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,302
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Plemmons
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "plum tree hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,478 Americans carry the last name Plemmons. That puts it at #13,468 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,319 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plemmons 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
2.5K
1 in 138,319
Census rank
#13,468
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,161 bearers of the surname Plemmons in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13468th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plemmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plemmons
The surname Plemmons is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, during the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "plum" and "mond," which together mean "plum tree meadow" or "plum tree valley." This suggests that the name's earliest bearers may have resided near a plum tree orchard or a location abundant with wild plum trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Plemmons can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire, a census-like record compiled in 1273-1274. The entry refers to a Robert de Plummund, whose name likely evolved into the modern spelling of Plemmons over the centuries.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various Lancashire records, such as the Wills and Inventories of that county, where several individuals with the Plemmons surname were mentioned. One notable person was John Plemmons, a landowner in the village of Ribchester, who was born around 1425 and died in 1497.
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the Plemmons name spread across England, with families bearing this surname residing in various counties, including Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire. During this period, the name was also documented in parish records and court rolls.
One notable figure from this era was William Plemmons, a merchant and ship owner from Bristol, who lived from 1582 to 1647. His trade ventures took him across the Atlantic, and he is believed to have been among the first Plemmons to settle in the American colonies.
Another prominent individual was Elizabeth Plemmons, a prominent Quaker and writer, who was born in 1662 in Cheshire and published several religious works during her lifetime, which spanned from 1662 to 1738.
In the 18th century, the Plemmons surname continued to spread throughout Great Britain and the British colonies. One notable figure was John Plemmons, a British soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was born in 1745 in Gloucestershire and served in the King's Royal Regiment of New York.
As the 19th century dawned, the Plemmons name had established a strong presence in various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand, thanks to the diaspora of British settlers and immigrants.
One notable figure from this era was Charles Plemmons, a British explorer and naturalist, who was born in 1812 in Shropshire and is renowned for his expeditions to the Australian outback, where he documented numerous plant and animal species.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plemmons
Among Census respondents with the surname Plemmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Plemmons 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 Plemmons surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 1,983
- Two or more races4.1% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 18
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plemmons
Plemmons 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
#13,160
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,324
+22 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 783 places
2020
#13,468
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,161
-163 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 308 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,377 | 2,302 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,160 | 2,324 | 0.79 | +22 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 783 places |
| 2020 | #13,468 | 2,161 | 0.72 | -163 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 308 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 Plemmons 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 | #13,160 | #13,468 | -2.3% |
| Count | 2,324 | 2,161 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.72 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plemmons bearers went from 2,324 to 2,161 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 308 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,160 to #13,468.
FAQ
Plemmons surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plemmons?
Name Census estimates that about 2,478 living Americans carry the surname Plemmons. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,319 residents.
How common is Plemmons?
Plemmons ranks #13,468 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,161 people with the surname Plemmons. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,478), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Plemmons.
Has Plemmons become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plemmons went from 2,324 recorded bearers to 2,161. That is a decrease of 163 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,160 to #13,468.
What does the Census say about the background of Plemmons?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plemmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Plemmons in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (1,983 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plemmons appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Plemmons (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 Plemmons mean?
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "plum tree hill." 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 Plemmons (0.72 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 are called Plemmons?
You can see how many people are called Plemmons on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.