Explore the Family Name Plant

The meaning of Plant

1. English (Staffordshire, Cheshire, and Lancashire): nickname from Middle English pla(u)nt(e) ‘(young) plant, sapling, sprig, graft of a tree’ (Old English plante, reinforced by Anglo-Norman French pla(u)nte), perhaps metaphorical for a young man or metonymic for an agricultural farmer or a gardener. 2. Altered form of French Plante. The surname Plant is also found in France, where it is very rare. 3. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): unexplained. History: The English surname derives chiefly from a 14th-century cattle-farming family named Plont or Plant associated with the Midgley vaccary in Macclesfield Forest (Cheshire) and with illegal pasturing across the county boundary in Staffordshire. This name has been established in Wicklow, Ireland, since the 17th century.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, in terms of popularity, the surname Plant experienced a slight decrease in rank from 5483 in 2000 to 5890 in 2010, a change of -7.42%. However, the count of individuals with this surname saw a marginal increase from 5832 in 2000 to 5858 in 2010, a growth rate of 0.45%. This indicates that while the surname may have dropped in overall rank, the number of people carrying the Plant name has slightly increased. The proportion of the surname Plant per 100,000 people also decreased at a rate of -7.87% over the same period.

20002010Change
Rank#5,483#5,890-7.42%
Count5,8325,8580.45%
Proportion per 100k2.161.99-7.87%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Plant

When looking at the ethnic identity associated with the surname Plant, as per the Decennial U.S. Census data, several shifts occurred between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of Plant surname bearers identifying as White decreased by 2.51%, while those identifying as Hispanic saw the largest increase, growing by 71.79%. The representation of the Plant surname among Asian/Pacific Islanders and Black communities also grew modestly by 2.33% and 9.83% respectively. Meanwhile, those identifying as having two or more races rose by 12%. Conversely, the percentage identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native saw a decrease by 19.88%.

20002010Change
White85.34%83.2%-2.51%
Black9.36%10.28%9.83%
Hispanic1.95%3.35%71.79%
Two or More Races1.25%1.4%12%
American Indian and Alaskan Native1.66%1.33%-19.88%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.43%0.44%2.33%

Plant ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Plant is British & Irish, which comprises 56.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.1%) and Scandinavian (3.9%). Additional ancestries include Spanish & Portuguese, Eastern European, Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish56.4%
French & German21.1%
Scandinavian3.9%
Other18.5%
Plant

Possible origins of the surname Plant

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Plant have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Glasgow City, United Kingdom89.00%
Merseyside, United Kingdom89.00%
Lancashire, United Kingdom89.00%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom89.00%
Greater London, United Kingdom89.00%

What Plant haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Plant is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include E-V13 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Laplante, Blackburn, Saylor, Starnes, Plummer, Chamberlain, Nunes, Prieto, Cooley, Lancaster.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Plant surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

plantPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Plant have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Plant

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Plant" Surname 39.7%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Plant

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Plant" Surname 16.1%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Plant

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Plant" Surname 23.6%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Plant

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Plant" Surname 20.7%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Plant?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Plant are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%