Show ContentsPlath History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The roots of the distinguished surname Plath lie in Germany, and chronicles claim two different origins for this name. Some sources suggest the origin is found in the mediaeval German word for the maker of breast plates for armor. Other sources claim the name stems from the German word for "plateau."

Early Origins of the Plath family

The surname Plath was first found in Brandenburg, where the name was an integral part of a feudal society which would shape modern European history. Many prominent branches of the family would strive to make this name renowned as they contributed to the social, economic and political affairs of the region. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was the knight Otto cum Plata ("breast plate",) who lived at Ruegen around 1255.

Platten is an Ortsgemeinde (municipality) in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany that dates back to at least 1084 when it was first listed as "villa Platana."

Early History of the Plath family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Plath research. Another 277 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1190, 1536, 1563, 1565, 1574, 1604, 1614, 1628, 1669, 1796 and 1835 are included under the topic Early Plath History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Plath Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Plath, Plathe, Plather, Plate, Plat, Plater, Platt, Platter, Platten, Platen, Platener, Platner, Plattener, Pletener, Plettener, Plaettner, Plaetner, Plaeth, Plathner, Plett, Pletter, Pletten, Pleten, Pleter, Plettner, Blate, Blatte, Blatten, Blath and many more.

Early Notables of the Plath family

Notable figures of the time with the name Plath were Thomas Platter, who was a prominent humanist from Basel. He began as an Alpine goatherder, then journeyed through Germany on foot and became a printer...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Plath Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Plath Ranking

In the United States, the name Plath is the 18,043rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Plath migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Plath Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Fred Plath, who settled in Texas between 1850 and 1906
  • Fred W Plath, who landed in Texas in 1850-1906 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Plath (post 1700) +

  • Sylvia Plath (1932-1963), American poet, novelist, children's author, and short story author awarded the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
  • Johann Heinrich Plath (1802-1874), German author
  • John Plath, Australian former rugby league footballer


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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