The Plank surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,534 people carried this name — #5,331 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 45,000 people counted. That is up 5% from 6,235 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Plank surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the plank’.

An early record he cites: Robert Plante, Cambridgeshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 609 · public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

105 people named Plank live in Switzerland.

They live in 11 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 22
Lucerne 13
Thurgau 12
Aargau 12
Graubünden 12
St. Gallen 10
Zug 8
Bern 5

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Poland’s population register

46 people named Plank have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 73 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 4 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Greater Poland.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Greater Poland 27
Kuyavian-Pomeranian 7
Opole 7
West Pomeranian 5

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 41 people named Plank live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Misiones.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Misiones 25
Buenos Aires Province 16

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In national population registers

31 people named Plank is counted in Slovenia.

Slovenia counts its residents on 1 January 2026.

Counted, by country

Slovenia (2026) 31

Source: Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS), SiStat tables 05X1015S–05X1018S, family names of the population, 1 January 2026 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In the first U.S. census, 1790

24 Plank families were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 138 people lived in those households, 5.8 to a family on average. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 8
New York 7
Connecticut 4
Massachusetts 2
Rhode Island 1
Maryland 1
Virginia 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 257 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Plank in American newspapers,
1900–1908.

Newspaper page from The Freeman carrying the name Plank
The Freeman 1908-06-06
Newspaper page from The Indian Leader carrying the name Plank
The Indian Leader 1900-03-23
Newspaper page from The Indian Leader carrying the name Plank
The Indian Leader 1901-05-03

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,412 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Plank in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

982 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Plank. The most, 172, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 2.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 252
Victoria 216
Western Australia 212
Queensland 174
Tasmania 61
South Australia 54
ACT (Canberra) 4

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Plank.

Who carried it

People named Plank,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Josef Plank
    Josef Plank 1815–1901 · artist
  • Josef Plank
    Josef Plank 1815–1901 · artist
  • D. Heber Plank
    D. Heber Plank 1842–1906 · physician
  • Andreas Plank 1356–1435 · Catholic priest
  • Andreas Plank 1400–1435 · Catholic priest
  • Johann Plank 1567–1629 · pedagogue

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Plank,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States588 records

588 records of the Plank name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 207
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 93
  • Other U.S. records 288
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Dean H. Plank

    Born 1923 in Idaho. Enlisted 1944 at Seattle, Washington; electrician. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1974, buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Anna Plank

    Arrived at New York in 1852 aboard the Van Cluse from Havre, aged 19; farmer. From Bavaria, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Duane Plank

    Born 1949; from Westfield, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army, infantryman; died of wounds 1970 in Long Khanh, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 588 records for Plank in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Germany375 records

375 records of the Plank name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 302
  • German applications to settle and marry 62
  • Other German records 11
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Albert Plank

    From Sulzgrieß, Württbg. Reported dead in the Bavarian casualty list of 2 August 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Theodor Plank

    Left Offenburg for Brussels in 1897.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Martin Plank

    Came to Buchkirchen in Oberösterreich as an immigrant in 1832; journeyman carpenter.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Staatsarchiv Landshut (CC0)

Showing 3 of 375 records for Plank in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Netherlands363 records

363 records of the Plank name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 207
  • Dutch population registers 138
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 18
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Hendrik Plank

    Married in 1830 in Sloten; cattle farmer. Died 1852 in Sloten, aged 70.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Helena Antonia Plank

    Married in 1906 in Rotterdam. Died 1955 in Utrecht, aged 73.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Johannes Plank

    Married in 1876 in Zeist. Died 1888 in Sloten, aged 50.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 363 records for Plank in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Australia50 records

50 records of the Plank name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 29
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 12
  • Other Australian records 9
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Thomas Plank

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Surry, arriving 1814; ticket of leave 1831. Native of Wiltshire.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Edward Plank

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Cheapside, aged 25; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Alexander Wm Plank

    Arrived in Queensland in 1923 aboard the Ormonde, aged 16.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 50 records for Plank in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

New Zealand24 records

24 records of the Plank name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Eleanor Ann Plank

    Died 1922, aged 62; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Edwin Plank

    Died 1998, aged 69; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Erich Ca Plank

    Died 1904, aged 47; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 24 records for Plank in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom22 records

22 records of the Plank name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 13
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 5
  • Other British records 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Plank

    Buried in 1913 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 42.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Ellen Plank

    Will proved in 1926; of Llandudno, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Plank

    Buried in 1817 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 51.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 22 records for Plank in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada16 records

16 records of the Plank name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 9
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • Other Canadian records 4
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Plank

    Came to Ontario in 1870 aboard the Prussian, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Howard Marriott Plank

    Buried in 1998 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 82.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Thomas Plank

    Died 1896 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 16 records for Plank in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France4 records

4 records of the Plank name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Maria Plank

    Born 1915 in Austria; died 2000 in La Tour-du-Pin (Isère).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Albert Christian Plank

    Born 1938 in Poland; died 1995 in Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 4 records for Plank in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Plank.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Plank is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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