Show ContentsPlata History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Plata

What does the name Plata mean?

The noble Spanish family name Plata is classified as being of habitation origin. In some instances, a habitation name refers to a residence which was distinguished by a sign or engraving usually displayed over the door. The name Plata is derived from the term "plata," the feminine form of the Latin term "plattus," which in Old Latin appears as "lamina," "thin plate or sheet."

Early Origins of the Plata family

The surname Plata was first found in the province of La Rioja in the northern region of thr Iberian peninsula. One of the earliest references to this name is a record of Antonio Plata, who entered the Infantry Regiment of the Royal Army in the year 1817.

Early History of the Plata family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Plata research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1637, 1660, 1671, 1730, 1813 and 1860 are included under the topic Early Plata History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Plata Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Platos, Platas, Plato and others.

Early Notables of the Plata family

Prominent among bearers of the Plata family name at this time was

  • Pio Plata, who was a chaplain in 1813, and Miguel Plata Marcos, a doctor and a member of the Health Department in 1860

Plata Ranking

In the United States, the name Plata is the 11,323rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


Plata migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Plata Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Diego Plata, who arrived in America in 1817 2
  • Serapio DeLa Plata, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1841 2
  • William Plata, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Plata (post 1700) +

  • Francisco Plata Bermudez (b. 1915), Colombian lawyer and politician


  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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