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

Plath, 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 Plath surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Plath in America

Plath is the 17980th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Plath surname appeared 1,553 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Plath.

We can also compare 2010 data for Plath 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 Plath

The surname Plath originates from Germany, where it first appeared in the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "platt," which means "flat" or "level." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived in a flat or level area or had a physical characteristic related to being flat.

The earliest known record of the Plath surname dates back to 1365 in the town of Stralsund, in what is now northern Germany. The name is also found in historical documents from other parts of Germany, such as Saxony and Brandenburg, indicating its widespread use across the region.

In the 16th century, a notable figure with the Plath surname was Kaspar Plath, a German theologian and writer who lived from 1532 to 1592. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church and authored several religious works.

Another early example of the Plath name can be found in the 17th century, with Johann Plath, a German composer and organist who lived from 1631 to 1696. He was known for his contributions to the development of Protestant church music.

Moving into the 18th century, there was Johann Plath, a German botanist and naturalist who lived from 1727 to 1793. He made significant contributions to the study of plants and their classification.

In more recent history, the Plath surname gained worldwide recognition through the American poet Sylvia Plath, who lived from 1932 to 1963. Her acclaimed works, including the novel "The Bell Jar" and the poetry collection "Ariel," have had a lasting impact on literature and the feminist movement.

Another notable figure with the Plath surname was Karl Plath, a German-American astronomer who lived from 1886 to 1958. He made important contributions to the study of stellar spectroscopy and the measurement of stellar distances.

While the Plath name originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its roots can be traced back to the Germanic regions of Europe, where it has a long and rich history dating back to the Middle Ages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Plath

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

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

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

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