2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Plumm
A surname originating from German and referring to a person who was stout or plump.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Plumm. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plumm 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Plumm in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plumm, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plumm
The surname Plumm has its origins in medieval England, likely emerging in the 12th or 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "pluman," which referred to a plum or plum tree. This suggests that the name may have originally been used as a descriptor for someone who lived near or was associated with plum trees or orchards.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named Roger Plumme is mentioned. This early spelling variation, "Plumme," offers insight into the name's evolution over time.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various local records and documents. A certain William Plum is listed in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1283, while a John Plum is recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296.
The Plumm surname is also connected to several place names in England, such as Plumpton and Plumtree. These place names likely originated from the same root word as the surname, reflecting the presence of plum trees or orchards in those areas.
Notable individuals with the surname Plumm throughout history include:
1. Sir Walter Plumm (c. 1390-1456), an English knight and landowner from Nottinghamshire.
2. Thomas Plumm (c. 1550-1621), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious treatises.
3. Elizabeth Plumm (1628-1694), a Puritan woman from Massachusetts Bay Colony, known for her involvement in the Salem Witch Trials.
4. John Plumm (1717-1803), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
5. Robert Plumm (1836-1919), an English industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Plumm Manufacturing Company in Birmingham.
While the Plumm surname is not among the most common in the English-speaking world, it has a rich history dating back several centuries and is closely tied to the rural landscapes and agricultural traditions of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plumm
Among Census respondents with the surname Plumm, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Plumm 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 Plumm surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 6
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Black or African American3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plumm
Plumm 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
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+15 bearers (+14.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,723 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.6%) | Up 13,723 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 Plumm 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 | #157,234 | #143,511 | 8.7% |
| Count | 103 | 118 | 14.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 31.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plumm bearers went from 103 to 118 (+14.6% change). The surname moved up 13,723 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #143,511.
FAQ
Plumm surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plumm?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Plumm. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Plumm?
Plumm ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Plumm. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Plumm.
Has Plumm become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plumm went from 103 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 15 (+14.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Plumm?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plumm, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Plumm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plumm appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Plumm (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 Plumm mean?
A surname originating from German and referring to a person who was stout or plump. 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 Plumm (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 Plumm?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Plumm, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.