2000
#6,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,426
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Plumb
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked with lead, such as a plumber or lead worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,784 Americans carry the last name Plumb. That puts it at #7,648 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,646 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plumb 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Plumb with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 71,646
Census rank
#7,648
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,172 bearers of the surname Plumb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7648th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plumb, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plumb
The surname PLUMB is of English origin, deriving from the Old French word "plombe" meaning lead. It first emerged in the 12th century as an occupational name for those who worked with lead, such as plumbers or makers of lead seals and weights.
The earliest recorded instances of the PLUMB surname date back to the late 12th century in counties such as Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire in East Anglia. One of the earliest known bearers was Radulphus Plumb, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms including Plumme, Plome, and Plomp, reflecting regional dialect variations. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 record a William Plum in Huntingdonshire, while the Poll Tax Returns of 1379 list a John Plomme in Yorkshire.
The PLUMB surname can be traced to several place names in England, such as Plumpton in Sussex, derived from the Old English "plum" meaning plum tree, and "tun" meaning farm or settlement. This suggests that some bearers of the name may have originally hailed from such locations.
Notable historical figures with the PLUMB surname include:
1. Walter Plumb (c. 1619-1704), an early settler in Milford, Connecticut, and a prominent figure in the colony's affairs.
2. Josiah Plumb (1730-1798), an American soldier who fought in the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War.
3. Ralph Plumb (1792-1871), an English architect and surveyor who designed numerous buildings in London, including the Church of St. John the Baptist in Holland Road.
4. Franklin Plumb (1825-1900), an American Civil War veteran and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Kansas.
5. Preston B. Plumb (1837-1891), an American politician and U.S. Senator from Kansas, known for his work on agricultural and labor issues.
While the PLUMB surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and settlement, maintaining its connection to the historical occupation of working with lead.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plumb
Among Census respondents with the surname Plumb, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Plumb 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 Plumb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 3,797
- Two or more races3.5% · 148
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 141
- Black or African American0.7% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plumb
Plumb 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
#7,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,372
-54 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Down 617 places
2020
#7,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,172
-200 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,984 | 4,426 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,601 | 4,372 | 1.48 | -54 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 617 places |
| 2020 | #7,648 | 4,172 | 1.40 | -200 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 47 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 Plumb 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 | #7,601 | #7,648 | -0.6% |
| Count | 4,372 | 4,172 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 1.40 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plumb bearers went from 4,372 to 4,172 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,601 to #7,648.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Plumb
FAQ
Plumb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plumb?
Name Census estimates that about 4,784 living Americans carry the surname Plumb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,646 residents.
How common is Plumb?
Plumb ranks #7,648 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,172 people with the surname Plumb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,784), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Plumb.
Has Plumb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plumb went from 4,372 recorded bearers to 4,172. That is a decrease of 200 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,601 to #7,648.
What does the Census say about the background of Plumb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plumb, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Plumb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (3,797 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plumb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Plumb (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 Plumb mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked with lead, such as a plumber or lead worker. 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 Plumb (1.40 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 Plumb?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.