2000
#28,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 798
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.30
Very Rare Last name
Plew
A topographic surname indicating someone who lived near a marshy area or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 921 Americans carry the last name Plew. That puts it at #30,982 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 372,155 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plew 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
921
1 in 372,155
Census rank
#30,982
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
803
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 803 bearers of the surname Plew in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30982nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plew, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plew
The surname PLEW is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "plocc," which referred to a small plot of land or a clump of trees or bushes. This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive name or nickname for someone who lived near or worked on a small plot of land or a wooded area.
One of the earliest known references to the PLEW surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, a medieval census record from the late 13th century. In this document, a person named William Plew is mentioned as residing in the village of Adderbury.
The PLEW name also appears in various parish records and tax rolls from the 14th and 15th centuries in counties such as Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. This indicates that the name was well-established in the southern and western regions of England during this time period.
One notable individual bearing the PLEW surname was John Plew, a clergyman who lived in the 16th century. He was appointed as the vicar of the parish of Westbury-on-Trym in Gloucestershire in 1554.
Another early record of the PLEW name can be found in the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. In 1602, a child named Thomas Plew was baptized at this church.
In the 17th century, a man named William Plew was a prominent landowner and farmer in the village of Corston in Somerset. He is mentioned in several local records and documents from that time period.
As the centuries progressed, the PLEW surname continued to spread across various parts of England, with families bearing this name being found in counties such as Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire, and Warwickshire.
It is worth noting that the PLEW surname has also appeared with various spelling variations over time, such as Plow, Plough, and Ploue. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects, scribal errors, or attempts to Anglicize the name by making it more phonetically similar to the English word "plow."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plew
Among Census respondents with the surname Plew, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Plew 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 Plew surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 728
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 35
- Two or more races3.6% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plew
Plew 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
#28,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 838
+40 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 239 places
2020
#30,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 803
-35 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 2,517 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,226 | 798 | 0.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,465 | 838 | 0.28 | +40 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 239 places |
| 2020 | #30,982 | 803 | 0.27 | -35 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 2,517 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 Plew 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 | #28,465 | #30,982 | -8.8% |
| Count | 838 | 803 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.27 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plew bearers went from 838 to 803 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 2,517 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,465 to #30,982.
FAQ
Plew surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plew?
Name Census estimates that about 921 living Americans carry the surname Plew. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 372,155 residents.
How common is Plew?
Plew ranks #30,982 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 803 people with the surname Plew. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (921), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Plew.
Has Plew become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plew went from 838 recorded bearers to 803. That is a decrease of 35 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,465 to #30,982.
What does the Census say about the background of Plew?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plew, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Plew in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (728 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plew appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Plew (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 Plew mean?
A topographic surname indicating someone who lived near a marshy area or stream. 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 Plew (0.27 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 Americans have the surname Plew?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.