Find out how popular the last name Plack is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Plack.

Plack, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Plack surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Plack in America

Plack is the 52619th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Plack surname appeared 394 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Plack.

We can also compare 2010 data for Plack to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Plack

The surname Plack is believed to have originated from the Low German region, which includes parts of modern-day Germany and the Netherlands. It is thought to have emerged sometime during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.

One theory suggests that the name Plack is derived from the Middle Low German word "plak," which referred to a flat or level piece of land. This could indicate that the name was initially given to someone who lived on a flat or low-lying area of land.

Another possibility is that the name Plack is related to the Old Frisian word "plekka," meaning a small piece of land or a patch. This would suggest that the name was originally associated with someone who owned or worked on a small plot of land.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Plack can be traced back to the 15th century. In 1456, a reference to a "Johannes Plack" appears in the records of the city of Lübeck, which was a major trading center in the Hanseatic League.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Placke" and "Plake," in the records of several German cities and towns. A notable example is Hans Placke, a merchant from Hamburg who was born around 1520 and was involved in the Baltic Sea trade.

During the 17th century, the name Plack began to spread beyond the Low German region. One individual of note is Johann Plack, a German composer and organist who lived from 1630 to 1690 and was active in the city of Nuremberg.

As the name Plack traveled, it sometimes took on different spellings or variations based on local dialects and pronunciations. For instance, in the 18th century, there are records of individuals with the surname "Plauck" or "Plauque" in parts of what is now Belgium and the Netherlands.

Another notable figure is Friedrich Plack, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1766 to 1834. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and worked as a professor at the University of Göttingen.

In the 19th century, the surname Plack can be found in various parts of Europe, including individuals such as the German painter Carl Plack (1818-1897) and the Dutch architect Hendrik Plack (1845-1923).

While the name Plack is not among the most common surnames, it has a rich history dating back several centuries, with roots in the Low German region and a diverse presence across various European countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Plack

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Plack.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Plack was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Plack has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Plack was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Plack, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!