Show ContentsPlanter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Planter family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Planter is for a gardener as the name was originally derived from the Old English word plant meaning plant, or young tree. 1 2

Early Origins of the Planter family

The surname Planter was first found in London where they held a family seat being descended from Fulk, the Count of Anjou, whose descendants were exemplified by the Emperor, Henry V of Germany, and Henry who ascended the English throne and planted the Plantagenet dynasty. He bore the three royal lines which continued until the time of Edward III who added a crest of another lion. The eventual heiress of this house was the Princess Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, and Queen of Henry VII. Many junior lines abounded. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Robert Plante, Cambridgeshire; and Roger Plante, Cambridgeshire. 4

"A family in humble circumstances at Kettering [Northamptonshire], bear the ancient royal name of Plantagenet, though now it is commonly changed to Plant." 5

"The Plants are very numerous in the Eccleshall district [of Staffordshire]. The name of Plente occurred in the 13th century in Huntinghamshire and Oxfordshire. There are also now a few representatives of the name of Plant in Suffolk and Shropshire." 6

Early History of the Planter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Planter research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1533 and 1605 are included under the topic Early Planter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Planter Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Plantaggenett, Plantagenet, Plant, Plante and others.

Early Notables of the Planter family

More information is included under the topic Early Planter Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Planter family to Ireland

Some of the Planter family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Planter migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Planter Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Anthony planter, aged 36, who landed in New York in 1812 7


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  6. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  7. 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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