<p>Manipulation of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) patterns by tailoring the polarization state of the incident beam is proposed with analytical and numerical verification when the higher-order Poincaré sphere (HOPS) vector vortex beam is employed as an example. The analytical expressions of electric field components of SPP on the silver film surface are derived based on the Richards-Wolf vector diffraction theory and the Kretschmann-Raether three-layer configuration. The role and contribution of the ellipticity, handedness, orientation, and topological charges (TCs) of <i>m</i> and <i>n</i> of the incident HOPS vector vortex beams in the manipulation of SPP patterns are studied in detail. The research results show that many fascinating SPP patterns, such as multi-foci, donuts, and dark polygons, can be easily obtained and dynamically modulated by adjusting the polarization states of the HOPS vector vortex beams.</p>