Platt

Platt is an English surname of topographic or nickname origin. It derives from the Old French plat, meaning "flat, thin," which itself comes from Late Latin plattus and ultimately from Greek πλατύς (platys), meaning "wide, broad, flat." The name was likely applied as a nickname for a person of slender build or with a flat physical feature, or as a topographic surname for someone who lived near a flat area of land, such as a plain or a shallow place in a river.

As a surname, Platt is most common in England and was carried by early English settlers to the United States and other English-speaking regions. Variants include the spellings Plat and Platte, though Platt remains the most frequent form today. The name bears no particular religious or dynastic significance, being purely descriptive in its origin.

Notable Bearers

Among its notable bearers are figures in sports, politics, and the arts: Platt Adams (1885–1961) was an American athlete who won a gold medal in the standing long Jump at the 1912 Summer Olympics; Platt Adams (politician) (1792–1887) was an American merchant and New York state senator during the mid-19th century. Other politicians include Platt A. Preston (1837–1900), Arkansas Secretary of State, and Platt Whitman (1871–1935), a U.S. Representative from West Virginia. In education and penmanship, Platt Rogers Spencer (1800–1864) created the Spencerian script, a popular 19th-century writing style. The surname has also been adopted as a given name, as seen with these figures and many others.

Cultural Context

Unlike many English descriptive surnames that faded over time, Platt has endured and spread, especially in North America. Its connotations of flatness or thinness may have originally been slightly pejorative, but as a modern surname it has lost any literal weight.

• Meaning: “flat, thin” (from Old French plat)
• Origin: Originally a nickname or topographic surname
• Type: Surname, descriptive
• Usage regions: United Kingdom, United States, other English-speaking countries