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

Platts, 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 Platts surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Platts in America

Platts is the 20099th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Platts surname appeared 1,329 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 Platts.

We can also compare 2010 data for Platts 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 Platts

The surname Platts is an English locational name derived from the Old English words "plat" meaning a small piece of ground or plot, and "flat" meaning a level, low-lying area. It originated in areas of England where families lived on small plots of flat land.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century in Yorkshire, England. In 1273, a Robert de Plat was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire. The name was also found in various forms such as Platt, Plat, and Platte in medieval records and tax rolls across northern England.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Platt, a landowner from Cheshire, England, who was born in 1400. Another notable individual was Sir Hugh Platt, an English writer and inventor from Lincolnshire, who lived from 1552 to 1608 and authored several books on agriculture and gardening.

The Platts surname has ties to several place names in England, including Platt in Lancashire, Platt Bridge in Greater Manchester, and Platt in Staffordshire. These place names likely derived from the same Old English words and influenced the development of the surname.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name appeared in various parish records and historical documents across northern England. Notable bearers of the Platts surname included Thomas Platt, a wealthy merchant from Manchester who lived from 1675 to 1743, and John Platt, a renowned clockmaker from Bolton, Lancashire, born in 1730.

Another prominent individual with the Platts surname was Sir Thomas Joshua Platt, a British businessman and politician who lived from 1831 to 1898. He served as a Member of Parliament and was involved in the cotton industry in Manchester.

Throughout its history, the Platts surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, from landowners and merchants to inventors and politicians, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of its bearers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Platts

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

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

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

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