Plat History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The roots of the distinguished surname Plat 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 Plat family

The surname Plat 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 Plat family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Plat 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 Plat History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Plat 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 Plat family

Notable figures of the time with the name Plat were

Thomas Platter, who was a prominent humanist from Basel...
His elder son Felix Platter (1536-1614) was professor of medicine at Basel, while his younger son Thomas Platter (1574-1628) was a distinguished physician...
Count August von Platen (1796-1835) was a well-known German poet...

Plat Ranking

In France, the name Plat is the 4,674^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 1

Plat migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Plat Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Plat, who landed in Virginia in 1622 2

Plat Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Plat, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1767 2

Citations +

http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)