2000
#11,827
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,426
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Pless
A habitational surname derived from a place name, likely referring to a location in Germany or Poland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,627 Americans carry the last name Pless. That puts it at #12,830 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,474 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pless 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
2.6K
1 in 130,474
Census rank
#12,830
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,291 bearers of the surname Pless in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12830th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pless, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pless
The surname Pless originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Silesia, which is now located in southwestern Poland. The name can be traced back to the 13th century and is derived from the German word "Pleß," which referred to the city of Pless, now known as Pszczyna.
Pless was a prominent city in the medieval period and played a significant role in the history of Silesia. The name likely originated from individuals who resided in or were associated with the city of Pless. Early records from the region, such as land deeds and tax rolls, might contain variations of the spelling, including Plesz, Ples, or Plesse.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Pless can be found in the "Liber Fundationis Episcopatus Vratislaviensis" (The Book of the Foundation of the Bishopric of Breslau), a 14th-century manuscript that documented the establishment of the Bishopric of Breslau (now Wrocław) in Silesia. This historical record suggests that the name was already in use during that time period.
Notable individuals with the surname Pless throughout history include:
1. Hans von Pless (1492-1555), a German nobleman and military commander who served in the armies of the Holy Roman Empire during the Protestant Reformation.
2. Maria Anna von Pless (1718-1793), a Silesian noblewoman and landowner who inherited vast estates in the region.
3. Hans Heinrich VI von Pless (1766-1830), a Prussian statesman and diplomat who served as the Minister of State for Prussia.
4. Daisy von Pless (1873-1942), an English socialite and writer who was born Margravine Daisy Cornwallis-West and married into the German noble family of Pless.
5. Hans Heinrich XVII von Pless (1900-1984), a German aristocrat and the last Prince of Pless, who inherited the family's vast estates and properties in Silesia before they were seized by the Soviet Union after World War II.
The surname Pless is closely linked to the city of Pless and the surrounding region in Silesia. It has a long and storied history, with many notable individuals bearing this name throughout the centuries, particularly among the German nobility and aristocracy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pless
Among Census respondents with the surname Pless, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pless 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 Pless surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.2% · 1,722
- Black or African American17.3% · 396
- Two or more races3.9% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pless
Pless 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
#12,025
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,596
+170 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 198 places
2020
#12,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,291
-305 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 805 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,827 | 2,426 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,025 | 2,596 | 0.88 | +170 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 198 places |
| 2020 | #12,830 | 2,291 | 0.77 | -305 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 805 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 Pless 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 | #12,025 | #12,830 | -6.7% |
| Count | 2,596 | 2,291 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.77 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pless bearers went from 2,596 to 2,291 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 805 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,025 to #12,830.
FAQ
Pless surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pless?
Name Census estimates that about 2,627 living Americans carry the surname Pless. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,474 residents.
How common is Pless?
Pless ranks #12,830 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,291 people with the surname Pless. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,627), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Pless.
Has Pless become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pless went from 2,596 recorded bearers to 2,291. That is a decrease of 305 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,025 to #12,830.
What does the Census say about the background of Pless?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pless, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Pless in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (1,722 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pless appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.2%), Black (17.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Pless (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 Pless mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name, likely referring to a location in Germany or Poland. 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 Pless (0.77 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 Pless?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Pless, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.