2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Plues
A variant spelling of the English surname "Plews", possibly derived from an old English place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Plues. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plues 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Plues in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plues, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plues
The surname Plues is believed to originate from the Old German word "pluos," meaning a pool or a body of standing water. This name first appeared in various records across the Rhine region of Germany during the 11th century.
The earliest recorded instance of the Plues surname dates back to 1068 in the town of Mainz, where a merchant named Gottfried Plues is mentioned in a local census. Other early mentions include a landowner named Heinrich Plues from Cologne in 1142.
As the surname spread across the German states, it underwent various spelling variations such as Plües, Plüss, and Pluehs. These differences were often due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
One notable historical figure bearing this surname was Johannes Plues, a 14th-century philosopher and theologian from the city of Erfurt. Born in 1327, he authored several influential works on metaphysics and ethics during his lifetime.
In the 16th century, the Plues name appeared in the records of the Hanseatic League, a powerful economic alliance of merchant guilds and market towns across Northern Europe. A merchant named Hans Plues from Hamburg was a prominent member of this league in 1542.
Another individual of note was Katharina Plues, a 17th-century herbalist and midwife from the town of Freiburg. Her extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and natural remedies made her a respected figure in her community. She lived from 1612 to 1689.
The surname Plues can also be traced back to the village of Pluesweiler in the Saarland region of Germany, which likely derived its name from a nearby body of water or marsh. This connection suggests that some individuals may have adopted the surname based on their place of origin.
Over the centuries, the Plues name has spread beyond Germany to other parts of Europe and the world, carried by migrations and diasporas. However, its roots remain firmly embedded in the linguistic and geographical origins of the Rhine region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plues
Among Census respondents with the surname Plues, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Plues 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 Plues surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plues
Plues 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
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,463 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-12 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,632 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,463 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 12,632 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 Plues 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 | #146,495 | -9.4% |
| Count | 126 | 114 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plues bearers went from 126 to 114 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 12,632 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #146,495.
FAQ
Plues surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plues?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Plues. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Plues?
Plues ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Plues. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Plues.
Has Plues become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plues went from 126 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Plues?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plues, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Plues in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plues appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Plues (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 Plues mean?
A variant spelling of the English surname "Plews", possibly derived from an old English place name. 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 Plues (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 people have the last name Plues?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Plues on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.