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

Plante, 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 Plante surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Plante in America

Plante is the 4583rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Plante surname appeared 7,744 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Plante.

We can also compare 2010 data for Plante 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 Plante

The surname Plante has its origins in France, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the French word "plante," meaning "plant" or "seedling." This name likely originated as a nickname or occupational name for a gardener, farmer, or someone who worked with plants.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Plante can be found in the medieval records of Normandy, France, dating back to the 13th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as Plante, Plantes, and Plantier, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Plante name spread throughout France, particularly in regions like Brittany, Poitou, and Anjou. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include Jacques Plante (1929-1986), a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Montreal Canadiens and is credited with popularizing the modern goalie mask.

In the 18th century, the Plante name was found in the records of the French colony of Acadia (present-day Maritime provinces of Canada). One of the earliest recorded Acadians with this surname was Pierre Plante, born in 1670 in Port-Royal, Acadia (now Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia).

Another significant figure with the Plante surname was François Plante (1701-1765), a French architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Église Saint-Roch and the Hôtel de la Monnaie.

The Plante name also appears in historical records of other European countries, such as Belgium and Switzerland, likely due to migration and intermarriage with French families. For instance, Jean-Baptiste Plante (1797-1868) was a Swiss-born painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes.

In the United States, the Plante surname can be traced back to the early waves of French immigration, particularly from Canada and France. One notable American with this surname was David Plante (1940-2021), a novelist and memoirist known for works such as "The Family" and "Difficult Women."

While the Plante surname has its roots in France, it has since spread across the globe, carried by generations of families and individuals who have contributed to various fields, from sports and arts to architecture and literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Plante

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

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 Plante 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 Plante 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 Plante was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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