2000
#24,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 944
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.35
Rare Last name
Plato
An ancient Greek surname derived from the Greek word "platus" meaning broad or wide.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,105 Americans carry the last name Plato. That puts it at #26,628 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 310,185 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Plato 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
1.1K
1 in 310,185
Census rank
#26,628
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
964
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 964 bearers of the surname Plato in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 26628th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Plato, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Hispanic (7.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Plato
The surname Plato originated in ancient Greece and is derived from the Greek word "platos," which means "broad" or "wide." This surname was likely given to someone with a broad or sturdy physique.
Plato is a name with a rich historical significance, as it was the name of one of the most influential philosophers of ancient Greece. Plato, born around 428 BC in Athens, was a student of Socrates and the founder of the Academy, one of the earliest known institutions of higher learning in the Western world.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Plato can be traced back to medieval times in various parts of Europe, particularly in regions with strong ties to Greek culture and history, such as Italy and the Byzantine Empire.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Plato was Giovanni Plato, an Italian philosopher and theologian who lived in the 13th century. He was known for his works on logic and metaphysics.
Another notable figure with the surname Plato was Andronikos Plato, a Greek scholar and philosopher who lived in the 15th century. He was instrumental in the revival of Platonic philosophy during the Renaissance period.
In the 16th century, the surname Plato was found in England, where it was likely introduced by Greek scholars fleeing the Ottoman Empire. One such individual was Peter Plato, a Greek scholar who taught at the University of Cambridge in the late 16th century.
The 17th century saw the emergence of a prominent family with the surname Plato in the Netherlands. One of the most notable members of this family was Peter Plato, a Dutch statesman and diplomat who served as the ambassador to England in the late 17th century.
Another individual of note was Johann Plato, a German philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 18th century. He made significant contributions to the fields of logic and metaphysics, and his works were widely studied in academic circles.
While the surname Plato has its roots in ancient Greece, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals of Greek descent or those with an interest in Greek philosophy and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Plato
Among Census respondents with the surname Plato, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Hispanic (7.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Plato 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 Plato surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.5% · 737
- Black or African American11.9% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 67
- Two or more races3.8% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Plato
Plato 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
#27,354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 883
-61 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 2,591 places
2020
#26,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 964
+81 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Up 726 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,763 | 944 | 0.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,354 | 883 | 0.30 | -61 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 2,591 places |
| 2020 | #26,628 | 964 | 0.32 | +81 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 726 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 Plato 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 | #27,354 | #26,628 | 2.7% |
| Count | 883 | 964 | 9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.30 | 0.32 | 7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Plato bearers went from 883 to 964 (+9.2% change). The surname moved up 726 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,354 to #26,628.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Plato
FAQ
Plato surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Plato?
Name Census estimates that about 1,105 living Americans carry the surname Plato. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 310,185 residents.
How common is Plato?
Plato ranks #26,628 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.32 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 964 people with the surname Plato. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,105), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.32 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 Plato.
Has Plato become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Plato went from 883 recorded bearers to 964. That is an increase of 81 (+9.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #27,354 to #26,628.
What does the Census say about the background of Plato?
Among Census respondents with the surname Plato, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Hispanic (7.0%). 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 Plato in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.5% (737 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Plato appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.5%), Black (11.9%), Hispanic (7.0%). 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 Plato (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 Plato mean?
An ancient Greek surname derived from the Greek word "platus" meaning broad or wide. 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 Plato (0.32 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 people share the surname Plato?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.