2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pliley
A variant spelling of the English surname Pilley, meaning someone from the village or town so named.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Pliley. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pliley 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Pliley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pliley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pliley
The surname Pliley is of English origin, first appearing in historical records during the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from an Old English word referring to a small village or hamlet, with the earliest known spelling being "Plyley" in 1273. This name was likely originally a locational surname, indicating that the first bearer hailed from a specific place called Pliley.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was John de Pliley, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. Around the same time period, the name also appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire as "William Plyley" in 1334.
While the Pliley surname did not appear in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, it is possible that earlier variations or spelling forms of the name existed in other ancient manuscripts or records that have not survived to the present day.
In terms of place names, the village of Pliley itself is believed to have been located in Worcestershire, though its exact location has been lost to time. However, there are still some existing places with similar-sounding names, such as Pailton in Warwickshire and Pylewell on the Isle of Wight, which may have some connection to the origin of the surname.
Notable individuals with the Pliley surname include Sir William Pliley (1568-1642), a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Gloucestershire during the reign of King James I. Another was Robert Pliley (1712-1789), a respected merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol.
In the 18th century, there was also a prominent family of Plileys who were landowners and gentry in the county of Shropshire, with the most well-known being Thomas Pliley (1745-1821) and his son, John Pliley (1773-1848), who served as High Sheriff of Shropshire in 1812.
Additionally, historical records mention a certain Reverend Edward Pliley (1684-1761), who was the vicar of the parish church in the village of Leigh, Worcestershire, for over four decades until his death.
While the Pliley surname may not be among the most common in modern times, its long and storied history can be traced back through centuries of English genealogical records, with many notable individuals bearing this name throughout the ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pliley
Among Census respondents with the surname Pliley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pliley 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 Pliley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 97
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pliley
Pliley appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-6 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,642 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 4,642 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 Pliley 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 | #148,347 | #152,989 | -3.1% |
| Count | 111 | 105 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pliley bearers went from 111 to 105 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 4,642 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #152,989.
FAQ
Pliley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pliley?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Pliley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Pliley?
Pliley ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Pliley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Pliley.
Has Pliley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pliley went from 111 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Pliley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pliley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Pliley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pliley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Black (1.9%). 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 Pliley (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 Pliley mean?
A variant spelling of the English surname Pilley, meaning someone from the village or town so named. 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 Pliley (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 Pliley?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Pliley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.