Explore the Family Name Ply

The meaning of Ply

1. Americanized form of German Bley. 2. In some cases possibly also French: habitational name from any of several places in Oise called Le Ply, named with Old French ploi ‘hedge with interlaced branches’.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Ply saw a minor decline in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Ply was ranked 61,058 in terms of popularity, but by 2010 it dropped to 61,745, representing a decrease of 1.13%. However, this change did not affect its proportion per 100k, remaining steady at 0.11. Despite the dip in ranking, the actual count of individuals with the surname increased from 308 to 325, marking an upward trend of 5.52%.

20002010Change
Rank#61,058#61,745-1.13%
Count3083255.52%
Proportion per 100k0.110.110%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ply

In regards to ethnicity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census indicates a shift over the decade. The percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander decreased significantly from 5.19% in 2000 to 4.00% in 2010, a drop of 22.93%. There were no individuals who identified as Two or more races, Hispanic, or Black in both years. Interestingly, there was an emergence of American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2010 that was absent in 2000. The percentage of those identifying as White increased slightly from 89.94% to 91.38%, indicating that the Ply surname is primarily associated with this ethnic identity.

20002010Change
White89.94%91.38%1.6%
Asian/Pacific Islander5.19%4%-22.93%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%1.85%0%
Two or More Races3.57%0%0%
Hispanic0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%