2000
#8,539
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,552
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Plowman
An occupational surname referring to a person who plows land for farming.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,323 Americans carry the last name Plowman. That puts it at #8,415 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plowman 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Plowman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,286
Census rank
#8,415
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,770 bearers of the surname Plowman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8415th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plowman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plowman
The surname Plowman is English in origin and dates back to the medieval period. It derives from the Old English words "plow" and "man", referring to a person who worked as a plowman or farmer. The name likely emerged as an occupational surname, given to those whose primary occupation involved plowing fields or working the land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Plowman can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Ploghman". This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the 13th century.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several references to individuals with similar occupational surnames, such as "Aratores" (plowmen) and "Cultores" (tillers of the soil), indicating the importance of agricultural labor in medieval England.
The surname Plowman is also linked to various place names in England, such as Plowman's Piece in Hertfordshire and Plowman's Field in Suffolk. These place names likely originated from individuals with the Plowman surname who lived or worked in those areas.
Notable individuals with the surname Plowman throughout history include:
1. John Plowman (c. 1350 - c. 1420), an English clergyman and author of the allegorical work "The Vision of Piers Plowman".
2. Richard Plowman (c. 1510 - c. 1570), an English composer and organist during the Renaissance period.
3. Thomas Plowman (1594 - 1664), an English Puritan minister and author.
4. Ephraim Plowman (1693 - 1765), an English Quaker minister and writer.
5. Benjamin Plowman (1789 - 1865), an English architect and surveyor, known for his work on several churches and public buildings in London.
The surname Plowman has endured throughout the centuries, reflecting the historical significance of agriculture and the occupational origins of many English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plowman
Among Census respondents with the surname Plowman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Plowman 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 Plowman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 3,463
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 136
- Two or more races3.0% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 29
- Black or African American0.5% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plowman
Plowman 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
#8,728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,757
+205 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 189 places
2020
#8,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,770
+13 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Up 313 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,539 | 3,552 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,728 | 3,757 | 1.27 | +205 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 189 places |
| 2020 | #8,415 | 3,770 | 1.26 | +13 bearers (+0.3%) | Up 313 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 Plowman 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 | #8,728 | #8,415 | 3.6% |
| Count | 3,757 | 3,770 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.26 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plowman bearers went from 3,757 to 3,770 (+0.3% change). The surname moved up 313 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,728 to #8,415.
FAQ
Plowman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plowman?
Name Census estimates that about 4,323 living Americans carry the surname Plowman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,286 residents.
How common is Plowman?
Plowman ranks #8,415 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 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 3,770 people with the surname Plowman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,323), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 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 Plowman.
Has Plowman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plowman went from 3,757 recorded bearers to 3,770. That is an increase of 13 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,728 to #8,415.
What does the Census say about the background of Plowman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plowman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Plowman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (3,463 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plowman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Plowman (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 Plowman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who plows land for farming. 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 Plowman (1.26 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 surname Plowman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.