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

Plato, 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 Plato surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Plato in America

Plato is the 27354th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Plato surname appeared 883 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 Plato.

We can also compare 2010 data for Plato 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 Plato

The surname Plato originated in ancient Greece and is derived from the Greek word "platos," which means "broad" or "wide." This surname was likely given to someone with a broad or sturdy physique.

Plato is a name with a rich historical significance, as it was the name of one of the most influential philosophers of ancient Greece. Plato, born around 428 BC in Athens, was a student of Socrates and the founder of the Academy, one of the earliest known institutions of higher learning in the Western world.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Plato can be traced back to medieval times in various parts of Europe, particularly in regions with strong ties to Greek culture and history, such as Italy and the Byzantine Empire.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Plato was Giovanni Plato, an Italian philosopher and theologian who lived in the 13th century. He was known for his works on logic and metaphysics.

Another notable figure with the surname Plato was Andronikos Plato, a Greek scholar and philosopher who lived in the 15th century. He was instrumental in the revival of Platonic philosophy during the Renaissance period.

In the 16th century, the surname Plato was found in England, where it was likely introduced by Greek scholars fleeing the Ottoman Empire. One such individual was Peter Plato, a Greek scholar who taught at the University of Cambridge in the late 16th century.

The 17th century saw the emergence of a prominent family with the surname Plato in the Netherlands. One of the most notable members of this family was Peter Plato, a Dutch statesman and diplomat who served as the ambassador to England in the late 17th century.

Another individual of note was Johann Plato, a German philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 18th century. He made significant contributions to the fields of logic and metaphysics, and his works were widely studied in academic circles.

While the surname Plato has its roots in ancient Greece, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals of Greek descent or those with an interest in Greek philosophy and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Plato

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

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

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

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