Show ContentsPlate History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Plate

What does the name Plate mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Plate comes from the family having resided by a small patch of land. Plate is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Plate family

The surname Plate was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Plate family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Plate research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1552, 1608, 1632, 1638, 1640, 1669, 1678, 1694, 1696, 1705 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Plate History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Plate Spelling Variations

Plate has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Platt, Plat, Platte, Plait, Plate, Blatt and others.

Early Notables of the Plate family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Hugh Plat or Platt (1552-1608), English writer on agriculture and inventor from Garlickhythe; and John Platt (1632-1705), an English immigrant to America from Ware, Hertfordshire to settle in Norwalk, Connecticut and rose to become a Member of the General Court of the Colony of Connecticut from Norwalk (1678-1694.) Gabriel Plattes (fl. 1638), was an English writer, said to have been of Dutch extraction, was one of the earliest advocates...
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Plate Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Plate family to Ireland

Some of the Plate family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Plate migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Plates to arrive on North American shores:

Plate Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Bernhard Plate, who landed in America in 1783 1
Plate Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Franz Alexander Plate, who landed in New York in 1835 1
  • Heinr Adolph Plate, who landed in America in 1836 1
  • Adolph Jos Plate, who landed in America in 1844 1
  • Bern Heinr Plate, who arrived in America in 1846 1
  • William Plate, who arrived in St Clair County, Illinois in 1860 1
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Plate migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Plate Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Bernhard Plate, who settled in Canada in 1783 with the United Empire Loyalists
  • Mr. Christian Plate U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1786 he served in Butler's Rangers 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Plate (post 1700) +

  • Jeff Plate (b. 1962), American professional drummer and percussionist
  • Henry Plate, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for New York State Assembly from New York County 12th District, 1919 3
  • H. A. Plate, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 37th District, 1929-32 3
  • Sebastian Plate (b. 1979), German footballer
  • Christina Plate (b. 1965), German Bambi Award winning actress
  • Enrico Platé (1909-1954), Italian motor racing driver and team manager


  1. 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)
  2. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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