2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Plym
A locational surname derived from the English place name Plymouth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Plym. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plym 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Plym in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plym, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plym
The surname PLYM is an English locational surname that originated in the county of Devon, England. It is derived from the River Plym, which flows through the city of Plymouth. The name likely refers to someone who lived near or worked along this river.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname PLYM dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Plym." This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century in the area around the River Plym.
During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as "Plymme," "Plymb," and "Plympton," reflecting the local pronunciation and dialect. Some of these variations may have also been influenced by nearby place names like Plympton, a town located along the River Plym.
One notable historical figure with the surname PLYM was Sir William Plym (c. 1450 - 1512), who served as a Member of Parliament for Devon in the early 16th century. Another was Sir John Plym (c. 1520 - 1590), a prominent merchant and landowner in Devon during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the surname PLYM can be found in various parish records and historical documents across Devon and neighboring counties. For example, John Plym (1625 - 1696) was a wealthy landowner and philanthropist in the town of Plympton.
Moving into the 18th century, the surname PLYM began to spread more widely across England and beyond. One prominent individual was Richard Plym (1735 - 1805), a successful merchant and ship owner based in Bristol, who played a role in the city's thriving trade with the American colonies.
Another notable figure was Sir Francis Plym (1780 - 1861), a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a respected magistrate and landowner in Devon.
As the centuries progressed, the surname PLYM continued to be found across various parts of England, as well as in other English-speaking countries through migration and settlement. While the name may have become less concentrated in its original Devon homeland, it maintains its roots in the ancient River Plym and the history of this region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plym
Among Census respondents with the surname Plym, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Plym 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 Plym surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.8% · 114
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plym
Plym 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
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+6 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,413 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.3%) | Up 3,413 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 Plym 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 | #146,201 | #142,788 | 2.3% |
| Count | 113 | 119 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plym bearers went from 113 to 119 (+5.3% change). The surname moved up 3,413 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #142,788.
FAQ
Plym surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plym?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Plym. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Plym?
Plym ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Plym. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Plym.
Has Plym become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plym went from 113 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 6 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Plym?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plym, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Plym in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plym appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Plym (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 Plym mean?
A locational surname derived from the English place name Plymouth. 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 Plym (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 surname Plym?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.