Explore the Family Name Plater

The meaning of Plater

English: 1. occupational name for a maker of plate armor or armor-plates, from an agent derivative of Middle English plate ‘armor-plate’. 2. from an agent derivative of Old French plait ‘plea’ or plaitier ‘to plead’, hence an occupational name or nickname for an advocate.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Plater in the United States?

The surname Plater, based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, experienced a slight dip in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 22,403 in popularity with 1,072 individuals bearing the name, which corresponds to 0.4 per 100,000 people. However, by 2010, its rank had fallen to 23,785, with a count of 1,063, or 0.36 per 100,000 people. This represents a decline in popularity by 6.17% and in count by 0.84%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#22,403	#23,785	-6.17%
Count	1,072	1,063	-0.84%
Proportion per 100k	0.4	0.36	-10%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Plater

In terms of ethnic identity, the Plater surname showed considerable diversity based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, the biggest groups associated with the name were "Black" (65.49%), "White" (29.66%), and "Two or more races" (3.26%). By 2010, there was an increase in the percentage of those identified as "Black" (up to 71.78%), "Two or more races" (up to 4.05%), and "Hispanic" (from 0.75% to 1.32%). Interestingly, the proportion within the "White" category decreased to 21.83%. Moreover, new categories appeared in 2010, with 0.56% identifying as "American Indian and Alaskan Native", and 0.47% as "Asian/Pacific Islander".

	2000	2010	Change
Black	65.49%	71.78%	9.6%
White	29.66%	21.83%	-26.4%
Two or More Races	3.26%	4.05%	24.23%
Hispanic	0.75%	1.32%	76%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0.56%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0.47%	0%