2000
#1,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,376
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.81
Uncommon Last name
Platt
An English occupational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked on a plot of land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,994 Americans carry the last name Platt. That puts it at #1,742 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,906 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Platt surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Platt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 14,906
Census rank
#1,742
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,052 bearers of the surname Platt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1742nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Platt, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Platt
The surname PLATT has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the early 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "platt," which means a small piece of ground or a flat area of land. This suggests that the name may have originally been given to someone who lived near or owned a flat piece of land.
The earliest known recording of the surname PLATT can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1182, where it appears as "Radulphus Platt." The Pipe Rolls were a record of financial transactions made between landowners and the Crown, indicating that the PLATT family likely held a prominent position in the local community at that time.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and their properties commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several references to place names that may be related to the PLATT surname. For instance, the village of Platten in Derbyshire is mentioned, as well as Platts in Yorkshire.
One notable early bearer of the PLATT surname was Sir Hugh Platt (1552-1608), an English writer and inventor who authored several books on gardening, agriculture, and scientific topics. He is remembered for his contributions to the development of early modern horticulture and his innovative ideas on methods of cultivation.
Another significant figure was John Platt (1728-1808), an English industrialist and inventor who played a crucial role in the development of the cotton spinning industry during the Industrial Revolution. He is credited with several important innovations in the spinning process, which greatly improved the efficiency and productivity of textile manufacturing.
In the realm of literature, Thomas Platt (1833-1910) was an English novelist and poet who gained recognition for his works, including "The Bard of the Dimbovitza" and "The Dimbovitza: A Model for Poets." His writings often explored themes of nature and rural life.
Oliver Platt (born 1960) is a contemporary American actor known for his roles in films such as "Flatliners," "The Three Musketeers," and the television series "The West Wing." He has received critical acclaim for his versatile acting abilities and has been nominated for several awards throughout his career.
Lastly, Sir Hugh Platt (1552-1608), mentioned earlier, had a son named Gabriel Platt (1600-1678), who followed in his father's footsteps as a writer and horticulturist. He authored several works on gardening and agriculture, further contributing to the family's legacy in the field of horticulture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Platt
Among Census respondents with the surname Platt, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Platt bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Platt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 16,675
- Black or African American7.9% · 1,588
- Two or more races4.1% · 823
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 732
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 145
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 89
Timeline
Historical Census data for Platt
Platt appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,022
-354 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 6.11
Rank movement Down 213 places
2020
#1,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,052
+2,030 bearers (+11.3%)
Per 100,000 6.71
Rank movement Up 264 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,793 | 18,376 | 6.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,006 | 18,022 | 6.11 | -354 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 213 places |
| 2020 | #1,742 | 20,052 | 6.71 | +2,030 bearers (+11.3%) | Up 264 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Platt surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,006 | #1,742 | 13.2% |
| Count | 18,022 | 20,052 | 11.3% |
| Per 100K | 6.11 | 6.71 | 9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Platt bearers went from 18,022 to 20,052 (+11.3% change). The surname moved up 264 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,006 to #1,742.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Platt
FAQ
Platt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Platt?
Name Census estimates that about 22,994 living Americans carry the surname Platt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,906 residents.
How common is Platt?
Platt ranks #1,742 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,052 people with the surname Platt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,994), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Platt.
Has Platt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Platt went from 18,022 recorded bearers to 20,052. That is an increase of 2,030 (+11.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,006 to #1,742.
What does the Census say about the background of Platt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Platt, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Platt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (16,675 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Platt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Black (7.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Platt (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Platt mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked on a plot of land. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Platt (6.71 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Platt?
Want to know how many people are called Platt? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.