2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Plymate
A surname derived from a plyer, a maker or seller of pliers or other tools.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Plymate. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plymate 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Plymate in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plymate, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plymate
The surname PLYMATE originates from England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "plyme," which means a plume or feather, suggesting a connection to the feather trade or a person involved in the production or sale of feathers.
In the early 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Plymett, Plymet, and Plymate, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling during that era. These variations were documented in historical records, including medieval tax rolls and parish registers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it is listed as "Willelmus Plymette." This suggests that the name was already established in the region at that time.
During the 14th century, the name appeared in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, Yorkshire, where a Robert Plymate was mentioned in 1348. This record provides evidence of the name's presence in the northern parts of England.
In the 16th century, the name was associated with several notable individuals, including John Plymate (1530-1594), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol. His son, Richard Plymate (1560-1625), followed in his footsteps and became a prominent figure in the Bristol mercantile community.
Another notable bearer of the name was William Plymate (1640-1712), who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Devizes in Wiltshire during the late 17th century.
In the 18th century, the Plymate family had established roots in various parts of England, with records indicating their presence in counties such as Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. One example is John Plymate (1720-1786), a landowner and farmer in the village of Beckington, Somerset.
The name PLYMATE has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Plymate's Farm in the village of Brockworth, Gloucestershire, and Plymate's Hill in the town of Devizes, Wiltshire, further reinforcing its connection to the English countryside.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plymate
Among Census respondents with the surname Plymate, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Plymate 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 Plymate surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 102
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plymate
Plymate 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-15 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,810 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-9 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,065 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 20,810 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 9,065 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 Plymate 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 | #141,140 | #150,205 | -6.4% |
| Count | 118 | 109 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plymate bearers went from 118 to 109 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 9,065 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #150,205.
FAQ
Plymate surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plymate?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Plymate. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Plymate?
Plymate ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Plymate. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Plymate.
Has Plymate become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plymate went from 118 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Plymate?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plymate, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Plymate in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plymate appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Plymate (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 Plymate mean?
A surname derived from a plyer, a maker or seller of pliers or other tools. 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 Plymate (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 Plymate?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.