2000
#1,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,665
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.14
Uncommon Last name
Plummer
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked with lead or installed and repaired lead pipes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,875 Americans carry the last name Plummer. That puts it at #1,427 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,296 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plummer 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 Plummer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,296
Census rank
#1,427
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,308 bearers of the surname Plummer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1427th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plummer, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plummer
The surname Plummer is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English word "plumere," which referred to a worker who dealt with lead, particularly in the making of lead pipes and vessels. The name first emerged in England, where it was commonly associated with the trade of plumbing.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Plummer can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners and tenants in England after the Norman Conquest. The name appeared as "Plumer" in Norfolk and Suffolk counties.
During the Middle Ages, the Plummer surname was prevalent in various regions of England, particularly in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. Several historical records from this period mention individuals with this surname, such as William le Plumer, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.
One notable bearer of the Plummer name was Walter Plummer, a 14th-century English merchant and alderman of the City of London, who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1330.
In the 16th century, the spelling variations of the surname included Plomer, Plumer, and Plumber. One notable figure from this era was Robert Plumer, an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Canterbury in 1558.
During the 17th century, the Plummer family established roots in various parts of England, including Essex, Kent, and Suffolk. One prominent member was Nathaniel Plummer, a British naval officer who commanded several ships during the Anglo-Dutch Wars.
The 18th century saw the Plummer name spread across the British Empire. Sir Thomas Plummer was an English baronet and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Rye in the late 1700s.
In the 19th century, the Plummer surname gained recognition in the literary world with the English novelist and playwright Caroline Plummer, who was born in 1819.
As the centuries progressed, the Plummer name continued to be associated with various professions, including politics, military, and academia. Notable individuals include Rear Admiral Charles Plummer Chenhall, a British naval officer born in 1810, and Charles John Plummer, an English historian and scholar born in 1851, who made significant contributions to the study of Anglo-Saxon literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plummer
Among Census respondents with the surname Plummer, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Plummer 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 Plummer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.9% · 16,015
- Black or African American24.4% · 5,942
- Two or more races4.5% · 1,094
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 772
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 333
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 152
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plummer
Plummer 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
#1,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,596
+931 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 8.68
Rank movement Down 73 places
2020
#1,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,308
-1,288 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 8.13
Rank movement Down 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,309 | 24,665 | 9.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,382 | 25,596 | 8.68 | +931 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 73 places |
| 2020 | #1,427 | 24,308 | 8.13 | -1,288 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 45 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 Plummer 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 | #1,382 | #1,427 | -3.3% |
| Count | 25,596 | 24,308 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 8.68 | 8.13 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plummer bearers went from 25,596 to 24,308 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,382 to #1,427.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Plummer
FAQ
Plummer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plummer?
Name Census estimates that about 27,875 living Americans carry the surname Plummer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,296 residents.
How common is Plummer?
Plummer ranks #1,427 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,308 people with the surname Plummer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,875), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Plummer.
Has Plummer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plummer went from 25,596 recorded bearers to 24,308. That is a decrease of 1,288 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,382 to #1,427.
What does the Census say about the background of Plummer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plummer, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Plummer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.9% (16,015 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plummer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.9%), Black (24.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Plummer (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 Plummer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked with lead or installed and repaired lead pipes. 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 Plummer (8.13 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 Americans have the surname Plummer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.