Find out how popular the last name Pluff is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Pluff.

Pluff, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Pluff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pluff in America

Pluff is the 35246th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pluff surname appeared 639 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Pluff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pluff to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Pluff

The surname PLUFF is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "pluffe," which referred to a type of soft, plush fabric. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname given to someone who worked with this type of fabric, such as a weaver or merchant.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PLUFF can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany, dating back to the 13th century. In these records, a individual named "Johannes Pluff" is mentioned as a resident of the town of Meissen.

Another early reference to the name appears in the Annalen der Stadt Nürnberg, a chronicle of the city of Nuremberg, Germany, from the 14th century. It mentions a "Heinricus Pluff" who was a member of the city council in 1376.

In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the PLUFF name was Johann Pluff, a German theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg. He was born in 1510 and died in 1564, and was known for his work in reforming the educational system in Saxony.

Another historical figure with the surname PLUFF was Hans Pluff, a German military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War during the 17th century. He was born in 1595 and died in 1667, and was known for his role in the Battle of Lützen in 1632.

In the 18th century, a prominent bearer of the PLUFF name was Johann Gottfried Pluff, a German composer and organist. He was born in 1716 and died in 1787, and is remembered for his contributions to the development of the organ concerto genre.

Throughout its history, the surname PLUFF has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Pluffendorf and Pluffstadt, which may have been derived from the name itself or vice versa.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pluff

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Pluff.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Pluff was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Pluff has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Pluff was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Pluff, please contact us.

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