2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Platto
A surname derived from the Italian word "piatto" meaning "flat" or "plain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Platto. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Platto 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.
Bearers in the US
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Platto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Platto, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Platto
The surname PLATTO is believed to have originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Latin word "platus," meaning "broad" or "wide," possibly referring to a person's physical stature or build. The name may have initially been used as a nickname or descriptive term before becoming an established surname.
Records indicate that variations of the name, such as Plato and Platti, appeared in documents from the region of Tuscany as early as the 13th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname PLATTO can be found in the Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Venetian, a registry of Venetian nobility, dating back to the 15th century.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name PLATTO was Giovanni Battista Platto, a renowned architect and engineer from Milan. He was responsible for designing several significant buildings, including the Church of San Fedele and the Palazzo della Ragione.
Another individual of historical significance was Girolamo Platto, a Venetian merchant and explorer who traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East in the late 16th century. His detailed accounts of his voyages provided valuable insights into the cultures and trade practices of the regions he visited.
During the 17th century, the PLATTO name gained prominence in the city of Naples, where several members of the family held influential positions within the local government and ecclesiastical circles. One such figure was Cardinal Antonio Platto, who served as the Archbishop of Naples from 1660 to 1679.
In the 18th century, the PLATTO family expanded their influence beyond Italy, with some members migrating to other parts of Europe. One notable individual from this period was Maximilian Platto, a German-born military officer who served in the Prussian Army during the Seven Years' War. He distinguished himself in several battles and was awarded the prestigious Order of the Black Eagle for his valor.
As the centuries progressed, the PLATTO surname continued to be represented in various fields, including the arts, sciences, and politics. In the 19th century, Giuseppe Platto, an Italian painter and sculptor, gained recognition for his works depicting scenes from classical mythology and Italian history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Platto
Among Census respondents with the surname Platto, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Platto 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 Platto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 87
- Black or African American7.8% · 8
- Two or more races5.8% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Platto
Platto 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,524 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,250 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 13,524 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 4,250 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 Platto 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 | #158,432 | #154,182 | 2.7% |
| Count | 102 | 103 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Platto bearers went from 102 to 103 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 4,250 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #154,182.
FAQ
Platto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Platto?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Platto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Platto?
Platto ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Platto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Platto.
Has Platto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Platto went from 102 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Platto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Platto, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Platto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Platto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Black (7.8%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Platto (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 Platto mean?
A surname derived from the Italian word "piatto" meaning "flat" or "plain." 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 Platto (0.03 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 many Americans have the surname Platto?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.