PLUMER
Plumer is a surname of English origin, situated within the broader context of the British Isles. It is traditionally classified as an occupational name.
The earliest known derivation links the name to the Middle English word plumer, meaning a person working with lead. A plumer was involved in the construction of roofs, gutters and pipes, and the surname is thought to have been applied to those engaged in the plumbing trade or lead working in diverse capacities.
Another historic origin stems from the Old French word plumier, which itself is derived from the Latin plumarius. In this sense, the name was given to a dealer in feathers or plumes, often connected with the manufacture of feather mattresses or the decoration of ceremonial helmets and hats. This feather‑dealer meaning is distinct from, but sometimes conflated with, the lead‑worker derivation.
The name first appears in documentary records in the year 1176 in the Pipe Rolls of Westmoreland, where it is recorded as Walterus Plumarius. A subsequent mention is found in 1185 in the Knights Templars Records of Yorkshire, where a Roger Plumer is recorded. In 1675, a John Plumer departed London on the vessel May Flower bound for Providence in Rhode Island.
A notable bearer of the surname is Sir Thomas Plumer (1753–1824), who served as the first vice‑chancellor of England from 1813 and was appointed master of the rolls in 1818.
Over the centuries, members of the Plumer family have migrated beyond Britain. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many Plumers relocated to Canada, the United States, Australia and South Africa, following broader patterns of British emigration. The name remains common in the United Kingdom, particularly in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with major concentrations in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cork, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Variations of the surname have developed in different linguistic and geographic contexts. In English, variants include Plum, Plume, Plumb, Plumpton, Plumper and Plumkerly. In continental Europe, the surname appears in forms such as Plümmer (German), Ploemers (Dutch), Plume (French), Plommér (Swedish) and Plummer (Hungarian). These variants share the same medieval roots and often refer to the same occupational traditions as the original English form.
Typical given names associated with the Plumer surname
Male
- Anthony
- Christopher
- David
- Eric
- Geoffrey
- James
- John
- Keith
- Mark
- Ronald
- Stephen
- Thomas
- Yannick
Female
- Alexandra
- Alison
- Ann
- Brenda
- Caroline
- Jacqueline
- Linda
- Lynn
- Margaret
- Melissa
- Sarah
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Plumer in...
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Morse
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There are approximately 150 people named Plumer in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around two in a million people in Britain are named Plumer.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Plumer
- Herbert Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer - Senior British Army officer of the First World War (1857 to 1932)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.