2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Plinski
A Polish surname possibly denoting someone from a marshy area or from the village of Pliny.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Plinski. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plinski 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Plinski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plinski
The surname PLINSKI has its origins in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, specifically in Poland. The name is thought to have emerged during the 13th century, derived from the Polish word "plinski," which means "from the marshlands."
This surname likely originated from a specific location or region characterized by marshlands or wetlands. It was common practice during the Middle Ages for individuals to adopt surnames based on their place of origin, occupation, or physical characteristics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PLINSKI surname can be found in a land registry document from the Polish city of Poznan, dated 1287. This document mentions a landowner named Marek PLINSKI, who held property in the nearby marshlands.
In the 15th century, the PLINSKI name appeared in several historical records from the Kingdom of Poland. Notable individuals include Jan PLINSKI, a prominent merchant from Krakow, who was born in 1436 and died in 1504.
During the Renaissance period, the PLINSKI family gained prominence in the Polish nobility. Jadwiga PLINSKI, born in 1579 and died in 1637, was a noblewoman known for her patronage of the arts and her support of the Polish Renaissance movement.
In the 18th century, the PLINSKI surname spread to other parts of Eastern Europe, including Ukraine and Belarus. One notable figure from this era was Stanislaw PLINSKI, a Polish military officer who served in the Kościuszko Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1794.
As the PLINSKI name continued to spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as PLINSKIY, PLINSKAITE, and PLINSKIE, reflecting local language influences.
Other notable individuals with the PLINSKI surname include:
1. Karol PLINSKI (1822-1891), a Polish painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
2. Elzbieta PLINSKI (1876-1942), a Polish writer and activist who advocated for women's rights.
3. Ivan PLINSKI (1901-1979), a Ukrainian-born composer and conductor who made significant contributions to the development of classical music in the Soviet Union.
4. Andrzej PLINSKI (1925-2008), a Polish historian and academic who specialized in the study of medieval Poland.
5. Anna PLINSKI (born 1968), a contemporary Polish author and poet whose works explore themes of identity and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plinski
Among Census respondents with the surname Plinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Plinski 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 Plinski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 102
- Two or more races6.0% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plinski
Plinski 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+12 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,974 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-9 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,407 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 1,974 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 10,407 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 Plinski 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 | #133,863 | #144,270 | -7.8% |
| Count | 126 | 117 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plinski bearers went from 126 to 117 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 10,407 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #144,270.
FAQ
Plinski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plinski?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Plinski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Plinski?
Plinski ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Plinski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Plinski.
Has Plinski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plinski went from 126 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Plinski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Plinski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plinski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Two or More Races (6.0%), Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Plinski (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 Plinski mean?
A Polish surname possibly denoting someone from a marshy area or from the village of Pliny. 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 Plinski (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 many Americans have the surname Plinski?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.