Show ContentsPless History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Pless family

The surname Pless was first found in Hamburg, where the name contributed greatly to the development of an emerging nation which would later play a large role in the tribal and national conflicts of the area. In later years the name branched into many houses, each playing a significant role in the local social and political affairs. Plesse is also connected to several place names in the Holstein region.

Early History of the Pless family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pless research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1811 is included under the topic Early Pless History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pless Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Plesse, Plesses, Plese, Pless, Ples, Plessez, Pleese, Pleesse, Pleess, Pleasse, Please and many more.

Early Notables of the Pless family

Notables of the time included

  • the Plesse family of Hamburg

Pless Ranking

In the United States, the name Pless is the 7,516th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Pless migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pless Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Pless, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 2
Pless Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Anna Maria Pless, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Pless (post 1700) +

  • Rance Pless (1925-2017), American Major League Baseball player
  • Vera Pless, American professor of mathematics at the University of Illinois at Chicago
  • Stephen Wesley Pless (1939-1969), United States Marine Corps major, who earned the Medal of Honor for deeds during the Vietnam War
  • Willie Pless (b. 1964), star football linebacker in the Canadian Football League
  • Kristian Peter Pless (b. 1981), professional male tennis player from Denmark


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)


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