Contents [hide]

Plummer History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Plummer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Plummer is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It was originally a name for someone who worked as a seller of plumes and feathers. Occupational names that were derived from the common trades of the medieval era transcended European cultural and linguistic boundaries. Occupational names have remained fairly commonplace in the modern period. This is attested to by the continuing appearance of occupational suffixes at the end of many English surnames. Some of these suffixes include: herd, monger, maker, hewer, smith and wright.

Early Origins of the Plummer family

The surname Plummer was first found in Durham where they held a family seat from early times. The family name Plummer first appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Plummer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Plummer research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1190, 1686, 1736, 1767 and 1822 are included under the topic Early Plummer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Plummer Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Plummer are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Plummer include Plumer, Plummer, Plumber and others.

Early Notables of the Plummer family

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Plummer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Plummer Ranking

In the United States, the name Plummer is the 1,156^th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 1

Plummer migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Plummer or a variant listed above:

Plummer Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Francis Plummer, who landed in New England in 1633 2
Samuel Plummer, who arrived in Newbury, Massachusetts in 1641 2
John Plummer, who arrived in Virginia in 1642
Joseph Plummer, who landed in Newbury, Massachusetts in 1652 2
Joe Plummer, who settled in Virginia in 1653
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Plummer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Plummer, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 2
John Plummer, who arrived in Maryland in 1739

Plummer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Plummer, who arrived in New York in 1833 2
Charles Plummer, who arrived in New York in 1843 2
John A Plummer, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
Israel Plummer, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1871 2
James Plummer, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1871 2

Plummer migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Plummer Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Charles Plummer, English convict who was convicted in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England for life for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Champion" on 24th May 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
Mr. George Plummer, (b. 1807), aged 20, English brass founder who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1865 4
Mr. Benjamin Plummer who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "England"on 31st March 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Mr. John Plummer, (Moody), English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Joseph Plummer, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Enchantress"on 6th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Plummer migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Plummer Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Plummer, Australian settler travelling from Sydney, Australia aboard the ship "Bristolian" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1842 8
Frederick Plummer, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oliver Lang" in 1856
Frederick Plummer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Pegasus" in 1865

Contemporary Notables of the name Plummer (post 1700) +

Christopher Plummer CC (1929-2021), Canadian Academy Award winning, two-time Emmy Award winning, two-time Tony award winning actor, best known for his role as Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music
William Francis "Bill" Plummer (1947-2024), American Major League Baseball catcher, member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won four National League pennants and two World Series championships between 1970 and 1976
Glenn E. Plummer (b. 1961), American Black Reel Award winning film and television actor
Henry Plummer (1832-1864), American sheriff of what became Bannack, Montana, hanged without a egal system trial by the controversial Montana Vigilantes
Adolph Plummer (1938-2015), American sprinter who broke the world record in the 440 yard dash in 1963
Jason Steven "Jake" Plummer (b. 1974), American former NFL football quarterback who played from 1997 to 2007
Amanda Michael Plummer (b. 1957), American actress, best known for her work on stage and for her roles in films such as The Fisher King (1991), So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993), and Pulp Fiction (1994), daughter of Christopher Plummer
Ahmed Plummer (b. 1976), American NFL football player
Charles Plummer (1851-1927), English historian who first coined the phrase 'bastard feudalism', best known for editing Sir John Fortescue's The Governance of England
Henry Crozier Keating Plummer (1875-1946), English astronomer from Oxford, son of William Edward Plummer (1849–1928)
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Plummer family +

Air New Zealand Flight 901

Miss Hilda Francis Plummer (1927-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Hamilton, North Island, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; she died in the crash 9
Mr. Alexander Francis Plummer (1894-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Pakuranga, Auckland, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 9

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Leslie Plummer, English Fireman from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 10

The Plummer Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Consulto et audacter
Motto Translation: With prudence and daring.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 18th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/champion
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/enchantress
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/