Find out how popular the last name Platon is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Platon.
A surname derived from the Greek philosopher Plato.
Platon, 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 Platon surname is from the 2010 census data.
Platon is the 46138th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Platon surname appeared 462 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 Platon.
We can also compare 2010 data for Platon 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.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 46138 | 60390 | -26.76% |
Count | 462 | 312 | 38.76% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.16 | 0.12 | 28.57% |
The surname Platon originated in ancient Greece, derived from the Greek word "Platon," which means "broad" or "wide." This name was initially used as a nickname or a descriptive term for someone with a broad physique or perhaps a broad forehead.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Platon can be traced back to the 5th century BC in Athens, Greece. One of the most famous individuals associated with this name is the renowned philosopher Plato, born around 428 BC. His original name was Aristocles, but he was later referred to as Platon due to his broad physique.
During the Byzantine Empire, the surname Platon was relatively common among Greek families, particularly in the regions of Thrace and Macedonia. It appeared in various historical records and manuscripts from the 10th to the 15th centuries, including chronicles and tax records.
In the 16th century, the surname Platon was found in the Ottoman Empire, as many Greeks lived under Ottoman rule. One notable figure from this era was Ioannis Platon, a Greek scholar and teacher who lived in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) in the mid-16th century.
As Greeks migrated to other parts of Europe and the world, the surname Platon became more widely dispersed. In the 18th century, a Greek merchant named Alexandros Platon settled in Livorno, Italy, and his descendants continued to use the surname.
Another prominent individual with the surname Platon was Mikhail Platon, a Russian painter and artist who lived from 1757 to 1812. He was born in St. Petersburg and is known for his portraits and religious paintings.
In the 19th century, a Greek philosopher and writer named Konstantinos Platon (1786-1853) made significant contributions to the field of philosophy and literature. He was born in Patras, Greece, and his works were influential during the Greek Enlightenment.
While the surname Platon is primarily associated with Greek heritage, it has also been adopted by individuals from other cultures and ethnicities over time. The name's origins can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it was initially used as a descriptive term before becoming a hereditary surname.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Platon.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Platon was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 23.81% | 110 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 37.45% | 173 |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 1.95% | 9 |
Hispanic Origin | 34.63% | 160 |
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 Platon has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 23.81% | 35.26% | -38.77% |
Black | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | 37.45% | 37.50% | -0.13% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Two or More Races | 1.95% | 1.60% | 19.72% |
Hispanic | 34.63% | 25.32% | 31.06% |
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 Platon was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/platon-surname-popularity/">Platon last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Platon last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 16, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/platon-surname-popularity/.
"Platon last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/platon-surname-popularity/. Accessed 16 July, 2025
Platon last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/platon-surname-popularity/.
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