Explore the Family Name Plager

The meaning of Plager

German: 1. variant of Pfleger; in particular, an occupational name for someone who tended dikes and ditches. 2. (Pläger): unexplained.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Plager in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Plager has seen a decline from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 68,569 and fell to 86,005 in 2010, reflecting a decrease of 25.43%. The actual count of individuals with this surname also decreased from 268 in 2000 to 217 in 2010, marking a reduction of 19.03%. The proportion per 100k people dropped by 30%, from 0.1 in 2000 to 0.07 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#68,569#86,005-25.43%
Count268217-19.03%
Proportion per 100k0.10.07-30%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Plager

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of individuals with the Plager surname identified as White in both 2000 and 2010. However, there was a slight decrease in this demographic over the decade, falling from 99.63% to 94.93%. Interestingly, there was an emergence of Hispanic identification within this surname, increasing to 3.69% in 2010. There were no reported changes in Asian/Pacific Islander, two or more races, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnic identities within those bearing the Plager surname during this period.

20002010Change
White99.63%94.93%-4.72%
Hispanic0%3.69%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%