Explore the Family Name Plain
The meaning of Plain
1. English (of Norman origin): habitational name for someone from Plasnes in Eure. 2. French: from Old French plain, an adjective meaning ‘flat’ and a noun meaning ‘plain’, hence a topographic name denoting e.g. a dwelling on a flat terrain. Compare Duplain.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Plain in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Plain has seen a slight increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Plain was ranked as the 22,612th most popular surname in the United States with a count of 1,061 people carrying this last name. By 2010, the rank had improved to 22,246 with a count of 1,159. This marks a 1.62% increase in rank and a 9.24% rise in the number of people with the surname Plain. The proportion per 100,000 remained steady at 0.39.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #22,612 | #22,246 | 1.62% |
| Count | 1,061 | 1,159 | 9.24% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.39 | 0.39 | 0% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Plain
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some shifts over the decade. While the percentage of individuals with the surname Plain identifying as White decreased slightly from 72.48% in 2000 to 69.37% in 2010, there were increases for those identifying as Black (from 21.21% to 23.04%), Hispanic (from 4.05% to 5.09%) and those identifying as two or more races (from 0.85% to 1.64%). However, the percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native dropped to zero, possibly due to data suppression for privacy purposes.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 72.48% | 69.37% | -4.29% |
| Black | 21.21% | 23.04% | 8.63% |
| Hispanic | 4.05% | 5.09% | 25.68% |
| Two or More Races | 0.85% | 1.64% | 92.94% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.75% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.66% | 0% | 0% |