UK surname
An occupational surname referring to a farmer or one who worked the plow.
In the 1881 census there were 134 people recorded with the Ploughman surname, ranking it #16,602 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 42, ranked #35,336, down from #16,602 in 1881.
The strongest historical links point to Wellingborough, London parishes and South Stoneham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include No data.
Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ploughman is 134 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 68.7%.
1881 census count
134
Ranked #16,602
Modern count
42
2016, ranked #35,336
Peak year
1881
134 bearers
Map years
4
1851 to 1891
Key insights
Map
Back to topThe map shows where the Ploughman surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.
Distribution map
Ploughman surname density by area, 1881 census.
Timeline
Back to topThe table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.
| Year | Period | Count | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1851 | historical | 109 | #16,212 |
| 1861 | historical | 113 | #19,151 |
| 1881 | historical | 134 | #16,602 |
| 1891 | historical | 120 | #21,292 |
| 1901 | historical | 62 | #27,252 |
| 1911 | historical | 62 | #26,622 |
| 1997 | modern | 32 | #34,472 |
| 1998 | modern | 34 | #34,433 |
| 1999 | modern | 36 | #34,323 |
| 2000 | modern | 34 | #34,517 |
| 2001 | modern | 30 | #34,753 |
| 2002 | modern | 27 | #35,243 |
| 2003 | modern | 27 | #35,279 |
| 2004 | modern | 31 | #35,105 |
| 2005 | modern | 28 | #35,510 |
| 2006 | modern | 32 | #35,392 |
| 2007 | modern | 27 | #35,876 |
| 2008 | modern | 30 | #35,736 |
| 2009 | modern | 33 | #35,671 |
| 2010 | modern | 33 | #35,794 |
| 2011 | modern | 34 | #35,705 |
| 2012 | modern | 35 | #35,645 |
| 2013 | modern | 40 | #35,439 |
| 2014 | modern | 41 | #35,396 |
| 2015 | modern | 40 | #35,422 |
| 2016 | modern | 42 | #35,336 |
Geography
Back to topHistorical parish links are strongest around Wellingborough, London parishes, South Stoneham, Wick and Alwalton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to No data. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
| Rank | Parish | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wellingborough | Northamptonshire |
| 2 | London parishes | London 1 |
| 3 | South Stoneham | Hampshire |
| 4 | Wick | Caithness |
| 5 | Alwalton | Northamptonshire |
| Rank | Area | District |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No data | No data |
Forenames
Back to topThese lists show first names that appear often with the Ploughman surname in historical and recent records.
Recent female names
Recent male names
Modern profile
Back to topModern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Ploughman, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.
These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.
The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.
UK neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Nationally, the Ploughman surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as No data, within No data. This does not mean every Ploughman household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.
London neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Within London, Ploughman is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.
Broadband speed
The modern neighbourhood pattern for Ploughman is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of No data.
Area snapshot
This describes the area pattern most associated with Ploughman, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.
Origin
Back to topThe surname Ploughman is an English occupational name that originated in the late 12th century. It comes from the Old English words "plow" and "man", referring to a person who worked as a ploughman or ploughboy, operating a plow to till fields for farming. The name was most common in rural areas of England where agriculture was a primary occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ploughman surname can be found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1212, which mentions a William le Ploghman. Similar spellings like Ploghman, Ploughemon, and Plughman were also used in early records.
The Ploughman name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which lists a Robert le Ploghman. This suggests the surname was well-established in various parts of England by the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the Ploughman surname is mentioned in the famous allegorical work "The Vision of Piers Plowman" by William Langland, written around 1370. This poem features a character named Piers Plowman, who represents the ideal of honest labor and a virtuous life.
One notable bearer of the Ploughman name was John Ploughman (c. 1460-1512), an English priest and writer who authored a popular book of moral advice titled "The Ploughman's Tale" in the early 16th century.
Another individual with this surname was Richard Ploughman (c. 1530-1585), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire, who served as Mayor of Tewkesbury in 1568.
In the 17th century, Thomas Ploughman (1612-1677) was a prominent English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Ploughman's Advice to His Son" published in 1659.
The Ploughman surname also has a connection to place names, such as the village of Ploughman's Green in Oxfordshire, which is believed to have derived its name from a family with this occupational surname residing there.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
1881 census detail
Back to topThese tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ploughman surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.
Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 19 Ploughmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.47x.
| County | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire | 19 | 1.47x |
| Warwickshire | 12 | 3.64x |
| Bedfordshire | 10 | 14.78x |
| Durham | 10 | 2.57x |
| Hampshire | 10 | 3.73x |
| Middlesex | 10 | 0.77x |
| Staffordshire | 9 | 2.04x |
| Surrey | 9 | 1.41x |
| Monmouthshire | 7 | 7.41x |
| Huntingdonshire | 6 | 23.12x |
| Kent | 6 | 1.35x |
| Lancashire | 5 | 0.32x |
| Cambridgeshire | 4 | 4.83x |
| Derbyshire | 4 | 1.95x |
| Lincolnshire | 3 | 1.44x |
| Northamptonshire | 2 | 1.63x |
| Wiltshire | 2 | 1.73x |
| Banffshire | 1 | 3.69x |
| Berkshire | 1 | 1.02x |
| Devon | 1 | 0.37x |
| Leicestershire | 1 | 0.69x |
| Sussex | 1 | 0.45x |
| Worcestershire | 1 | 0.59x |
Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dawdon in Durham leads with 10 Ploughmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 209.21x.
| Place | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Dawdon | 10 | 209.21x |
| Luton | 10 | 85.32x |
| Abergavenny | 7 | 197.74x |
| Rowington | 7 | 1891.89x |
| South Tidworth | 7 | 6363.64x |
| Mile End Old Town | 6 | 29.08x |
| Aston | 5 | 5.51x |
| Bermondsey | 4 | 10.28x |
| Bradford | 4 | 55.10x |
| Darlaston | 4 | 65.57x |
| Great Driffield | 4 | 150.38x |
| Morborn | 4 | 10000.00x |
| Pelsall | 4 | 305.34x |
| Wombleton | 4 | 3076.92x |
| Chesterton | 3 | 117.65x |
| Deptford St Paul | 3 | 8.72x |
| Leeds | 3 | 4.10x |
| South Normanton | 3 | 208.33x |
| Boston | 2 | 31.55x |
| Lockwood | 2 | 42.92x |
| Mere | 2 | 152.67x |
| Sinnington | 2 | 1428.57x |
| Birtsmorton | 1 | 769.23x |
| Brington | 1 | 1250.00x |
| Bromley | 1 | 14.71x |
| Camberwell | 1 | 1.20x |
| Chelsea London | 1 | 2.54x |
| Derby St Peter | 1 | 15.34x |
| Fordyce | 1 | 51.28x |
| Gillingham | 1 | 10.88x |
| Haslingfield | 1 | 294.12x |
| Kensington London | 1 | 1.38x |
| Kilburn | 1 | 588.24x |
| Lambeth | 1 | 0.88x |
| Market Deeping | 1 | 185.19x |
| Marton Cum Grafton | 1 | 625.00x |
| Newington | 1 | 2.07x |
| Nursling | 1 | 232.56x |
| Old Alresford | 1 | 454.55x |
| Penge | 1 | 11.98x |
| Peterborough | 1 | 11.24x |
| Portsmouth | 1 | 16.21x |
| Reading St Mary | 1 | 12.72x |
| Sproxton | 1 | 1428.57x |
| St George Hanover | 1 | 5.86x |
| St Marylebone London | 1 | 1.43x |
| Stoke | 1 | 33.22x |
| Thormanby | 1 | 1666.67x |
| Tormoham | 1 | 8.69x |
| Washingley | 1 | 2500.00x |
| Washington | 1 | 263.16x |
| Wellingborough | 1 | 16.18x |
| Widnes | 1 | 8.94x |
| Wolverhampton | 1 | 2.95x |
| Woolwich | 1 | 6.07x |
| Wymondham | 1 | 344.83x |
These are the female first names most often recorded with the Ploughman surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
| Name | Count |
|---|---|
| Elizabeth | 7 |
| Mary | 7 |
| Alice | 5 |
| Jane | 5 |
| Ann | 4 |
| Eliza | 4 |
| Sarah | 4 |
| Ellen | 3 |
| Charlotte | 2 |
| Fanny | 2 |
| Harriet | 2 |
| Kate | 2 |
| Martha | 2 |
| Rose | 2 |
| Adelaide | 1 |
| Amelia | 1 |
| Amy | 1 |
| Annie | 1 |
| Beatrice | 1 |
| Bessie | 1 |
| Caroline | 1 |
| Edith | 1 |
| Ethel | 1 |
| Frances | 1 |
| Gertrude | 1 |
| Hannah | 1 |
| Helen | 1 |
| Henrietta | 1 |
| Laura | 1 |
| Louisa | 1 |
| Maria | 1 |
| Marione | 1 |
| Meria | 1 |
| Nellie | 1 |
| Priscilla | 1 |
| Prisilla | 1 |
| Ros | 1 |
| Selina | 1 |
These are the male first names most often recorded with the Ploughman surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Ploughman households.
FAQ
In 1881, 134 people were recorded with the Ploughman surname. That placed it at #16,602 in the surname rankings for that year.
The latest modern count shown here is 42 in 2016. That gives Ploughman a modern rank of #35,336.
An occupational surname referring to a farmer or one who worked the plow.
The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Ploughman bearers relative to the surrounding population.
The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.