Surname Plume - Meaning and Origin
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Plume: What does the surname Plume mean?
The last name Plume is a French surnamed derived from the French word for "feather." The name originated from the French word “plume,” which has its roots in the Latin “pluma” meaning “feather” or “down.” Plume is one of the oldest French surnames, recorded in Normandy in the 11th century.
The surname denoted a person who was either the descendant of a bird breeder or a keeper of a bird flock. Birds, such as peacocks, pheasants, and doves were domesticated and raised for their feathers, which were often used to decorate hats and garments. Alternatively, it may have referred to a person's light and airy manner, suggesting a mental characteristic, rather than a physical one.
Plume was often Anglicized into two alternative spellings - Plomme and Plome. Over the centuries, Plume has spread throughout Europe and around the world - from France to Canada, united States, South Africa and Australia. Today it is still common in many places and for many people, Plume is an ancestral family name.
Order DNA origin analysisPlume: Where does the name Plume come from?
The last name Plume is believed to have originated from England, more specifically, the area surrounding Oxford and Buckinghamshire Counties. It is most commonly known to have been borne by nobles in the Middle Ages and is thought to have helped indicate social status in that era.
The Plume surname is still relatively common today, especially in Europe. In France, it is one of the thirty most common surnames in the country. Additionally, it can be found as one of the top one hundred surnames in Germany and the Netherlands. The Plume surname can also be found in other English-speaking countries like the United States, Canada, and Ireland.
In the United States, the Plume surname is more concentrated in the eastern states with a concentration in Pennsylvania and Virginia, according to the US Census records of 2010. The surname is also present in the states of New York, Massachusetts, Georgia, and Alabama.
The Plume surname has also taken on various alternate spellings in different countries. In England, it is spelled Plume while in France the common spelling is Plum. In the United States, a variety of spelling have been recorded from the census records such as Plum, Plume, Plumer, and Plummer.
Overall, the Plume surname has had a lingering presence over many centuries and continues to exist today in a variety of countries. It is likely to continue to be passed down through generations as the years go on.
Variations of the surname Plume
Plume is a French surname that has been Anglicized in spelling variations such as Ploom, Ploome, and Ploume.
Variants of Plume include Plmel, Pwerle, Prumer, and Promer. Pommier is a variation found in northern France and Germany, while Pommerer is a related version found in Austria, Switzerland, and Poland.
The Plume surname has often been confused with the German surname Plumeyer. A variant of Plumeyer is Plumeyer-Kersten, which may have originated from central Germany or Austria.
Plomme is also a variant of Plume that can be found in Norway and the Netherlands. Plomme is a patronymic name derived from the Dutch personal name “Plom”, which means feather or plume.
In England, the Plume surname has several variations, such as Plum, Plumble, Plumer, Plumme, and Plim. The English surname Plume may also derived from a nickname of someone who was “beaked” in appearance, or from a place name near a “plum tree”.
Plume has also become an American name due to the immigration of French settlers in the early 1700’s, as well as the British name Plume becoming Americanized to Plumey. Another variation of the Plume surname is Plumlee, which can be found in the southern United States.
A variant of Plume found in Russia is Plamber. It is derived from the personal name Plamar, which in turn comes from the Old High German words “plum” and “berha”, which mean “source of growth or sustenance”.
Overall, the surname Plume has many variations, spellings, and surnames of the same origin, all of which are rooted in different locations and cultures.
Famous people with the name Plume
- Henry Plume (1786: 1875): prominent politician and lawyer in Michigan who served as a member of the United States Congress.
- Charlie Plume (1934: 2020): English footballer who played for Gretna from 1962 until his retirement in 1973.
- LaToya Plume: television producer and actress, best known for her role in the ABC soap opera Loving.
- Juan Plume: Spanish vocalist and visual artist, mostly known as a soloist for the flamenco-jazz-fusion band “Gitano”.
- Louis Plume (1754: 1812): Canadian farmer and entrepreneur who founded the first fur trading post in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec.
- Mary Plume (1862: 1898): American nurse and educator who taught nursing at Bellevue Hospital in New York City in the late 19th century.
- Sophia Plume (1861: 1949): first woman to graduate from the University of Chicago with a medical degree.
- Deborah Plume (1946: 2002): author and journalist who wrote extensively about the role of women in the workplace.
- Alexander Plume (1825: 1890): French lawyer and politician who served in the French Senate from 1887 to 1890.
- Michael Plume (1949: 2018): Canadian musician and songwriter, best known for his work with the folk rock band Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.