2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Platzke
A German surname derived from a nickname meaning "bald man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Platzke. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Platzke 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Platzke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Platzke, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Platzke
The surname Platzke originates from the Pomerania region, now part of modern-day Germany and Poland. It can be traced back to the 16th century, derived from the Slavic word "plac," meaning a small plot of land or a farmstead.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Platzke dates back to 1563 in the village of Stettin, located in what was then the Duchy of Pomerania. Over time, variations in spelling emerged, such as Platze, Platzke, and Platzky.
In the 17th century, the Platzke family appears in several historical records from the region, including land ownership documents and church registries. One notable individual was Hans Platzke, a farmer born in 1624 in the village of Bütow, who was recorded as owning a substantial plot of land.
As the Platzke family spread throughout Pomerania and neighboring areas, the name became associated with various place names, such as Platzken, a small village near Stettin, and Platzfelde, a town in what is now western Poland.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Platzke have achieved notable accomplishments. Friedrich Platzke (1760-1832) was a renowned German philosopher and educator who wrote extensively on the importance of early childhood education. Anna Platzke (1879-1948) was a pioneering female architect from Berlin, known for her innovative designs in residential and commercial buildings.
Another notable figure was Karl Platzke (1892-1975), a German military officer who served in both World Wars and was awarded the Iron Cross for his bravery. In the field of literature, Gerhard Platzke (1920-1996) was a celebrated German author and poet, whose works explored themes of loss, love, and the human condition.
The Platzke name can also be found in historical records beyond Germany and Poland. In the 19th century, several families with the surname emigrated to the United States and Canada, where they established new roots and contributed to the cultural diversity of their adopted homelands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Platzke
Among Census respondents with the surname Platzke, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Platzke 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 Platzke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Platzke
Platzke 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,489 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,920 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 12,489 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,920 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 Platzke 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 | #142,108 | #145,028 | -2.1% |
| Count | 117 | 116 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Platzke bearers went from 117 to 116 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,920 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #145,028.
FAQ
Platzke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Platzke?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Platzke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Platzke?
Platzke ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Platzke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Platzke.
Has Platzke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Platzke went from 117 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Platzke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Platzke, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Platzke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Platzke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Platzke (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 Platzke mean?
A German surname derived from a nickname meaning "bald man." 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 Platzke (0.04 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 Platzke?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Platzke on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.