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

Platania, 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 Platania surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Platania in America

Platania is the 58735th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Platania surname appeared 345 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 Platania.

We can also compare 2010 data for Platania 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 Platania

The surname Platania originates from Italy, specifically from the Italian island of Sicily. It first emerged during the medieval period, likely between the 10th and 13th centuries. The name is derived from the Greek word "platanos," which means "plane tree." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or owned land with plane trees.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Platania can be found in a manuscript from the 14th century, which mentions a noble family bearing this surname in the city of Palermo, Sicily. It is believed that this family held significant influence and wealth during that time period.

In the 15th century, a notable figure named Giovanni Platania (born around 1420) was a renowned scholar and philosopher from Catania, Sicily. He authored several treatises on philosophy and logic, which were widely circulated and studied throughout Italy and Europe.

During the 16th century, a branch of the Platania family migrated from Sicily to the mainland of Italy, settling in the region of Calabria. One of their descendants, Vincenzo Platania (1558-1628), was a respected lawyer and jurist who served as a magistrate in the city of Reggio Calabria.

In the 17th century, the name Platania appeared in records from the town of Platì, located in the province of Reggio Calabria. It is believed that this town's name may have derived from the plane trees that once grew abundantly in the area, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and the plane tree.

Another noteworthy individual with the surname Platania was Gaetano Platania (1781-1862), a celebrated artist and painter from Catania, Sicily. He was renowned for his religious artworks and frescoes, many of which can still be found in churches throughout Sicily.

Throughout the centuries, the surname Platania has been associated with various professions and fields, including academics, lawyers, artists, and landowners. While the name originated in Sicily, it has since spread to other regions of Italy and even beyond, carried by generations of families bearing this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Platania

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

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

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

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