Pletcher
An English surname most likely from a nickname or occupational form linked to cloth-making or plaiting work.
The #9,147 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 86,556 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Pletcher is probably an English surname formed from an occupational or descriptive base related to plaiting, patching, or pleating. It is often treated as a variant of surnames built on Middle English words like "pleten" or "pleche"-type forms, referring to someone who worked with woven material, strips, or plaits. The exact pathway is not completely certain, but the name fits the broad family of medieval craft surnames.
History
The surname is recorded mainly in English-speaking regions and is especially familiar in North America, where later spelling stabilization produced forms such as Pletcher. Like many craft surnames, it likely began as a local nickname for a worker and then became hereditary. The modern distribution suggests family lines that were carried across the Atlantic from Britain, though the surname is not among the most common.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Pletcher is one of those surnames whose meaning is clearer in broad outline than in exact medieval spelling, so it often sits close to other craft-based names with similar sounds.