Find out how popular the last name Plesser is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Plesser.

Plesser, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Plesser surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Plesser in America

Plesser is the 120187th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Plesser surname appeared 144 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Plesser.

We can also compare 2010 data for Plesser to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Plesser

The surname Plesser originates from Germany and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Plesser," which means "to beat" or "to pound." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational name for someone who worked as a thresher or beat cloth to produce fabric.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Plesser can be found in the town records of Aachen, Germany, from the year 1567. These records document a family by the name of Plesser residing in the town during that time period.

In the 17th century, the name Plesser appears in various church records and tax rolls throughout the German states, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. This indicates that the name had spread across different parts of Germany by this time.

One notable individual with the surname Plesser was Johannes Plesser, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1573 to 1625. He was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation and authored several works on theology and philosophy.

Another historical figure bearing the name Plesser was Friedrich Plesser, a German painter born in 1837. He was known for his landscape paintings and was a member of the Düsseldorf school of painting.

In the 19th century, the name Plesser also appears in records from the Alsace region of France, which had a significant German population at the time. This suggests that individuals with the surname Plesser may have migrated from Germany to neighboring regions.

One of the earliest known instances of the name Plesser in the United States can be traced back to the late 18th century. Johann Plesser, born in 1768 in Germany, is recorded as having immigrated to Pennsylvania in the 1790s.

Another individual of note was August Plesser, a German-American architect who lived from 1846 to 1923. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in New York City, including the Plesser Building, which still stands today.

Throughout its history, the surname Plesser has seen various spellings, such as Plesser, Plesser, and Plesser, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Plesser

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Plesser.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Plesser was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Plesser has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Plesser was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Plesser, please contact us.

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