NameCensus.

UK surname

Plater

An occupational surname derived from Old English referring to one who made or worked with plates.

In the 1881 census there were 454 people recorded with the Plater surname, ranking it #7,280 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 691, ranked #7,785, down from #7,280 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Haddenham, London parishes and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Lindsey, Luton and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Plater is 732 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 52.2%.

1881 census count

454

Ranked #7,280

Modern count

691

2016, ranked #7,785

Peak year

1911

732 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Plater had 454 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,280 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 691 in 2016, ranked #7,785.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 732 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Plater surname distribution map

The map shows where the Plater surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Plater surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Plater over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 326 #7,136
1861 historical 454 #5,705
1881 historical 454 #7,280
1891 historical 613 #6,279
1901 historical 670 #6,496
1911 historical 732 #5,858
1997 modern 690 #7,329
1998 modern 713 #7,369
1999 modern 717 #7,385
2000 modern 698 #7,506
2001 modern 687 #7,474
2002 modern 711 #7,419
2003 modern 695 #7,421
2004 modern 697 #7,426
2005 modern 690 #7,432
2006 modern 692 #7,421
2007 modern 685 #7,561
2008 modern 682 #7,633
2009 modern 706 #7,595
2010 modern 692 #7,852
2011 modern 695 #7,733
2012 modern 699 #7,616
2013 modern 700 #7,725
2014 modern 705 #7,728
2015 modern 701 #7,703
2016 modern 691 #7,785

Geography

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Where Platers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Haddenham, London parishes, Gateshead, Thame and Luton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Lindsey, Luton, Northumberland and Walsall. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Haddenham Buckinghamshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Thame Oxfordshire
5 Luton Bedfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Lindsey 002 East Lindsey
2 East Lindsey 001 East Lindsey
3 Luton 003 Luton
4 Northumberland 001 Northumberland
5 Walsall 009 Walsall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Plater

These lists show first names that appear often with the Plater surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Plater

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Plater, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Plater surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Plater household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Plater is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Plater is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Plater falls in decile 4 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Plater is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Plater, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Plater

The surname Plater has its origins in Poland, and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old Polish word "plater," which referred to a person who made or sold plates, or someone who worked with sheets of metal. The name was likely an occupational surname, given to individuals involved in metalworking trades.

The earliest recorded instances of the Plater surname can be found in historical documents from the region of Greater Poland, particularly in the areas around Poznań and Kalisz. One of the earliest known references to the name appears in a 1455 document from the town of Środa Wielkopolska, which mentions a "Jacobus Plater."

Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the Plater family gained prominence in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, with several members holding significant positions in the nobility and military. One notable figure was Jan Andrzej Plater (1620-1678), a Polish nobleman and military commander who played a crucial role in the Polish-Swedish War of 1655-1660.

Another prominent Plater was Michał Jerzy Plater (1766-1834), a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman, politician, and writer. He served as a deputy to the Great Sejm of 1788-1792 and was a vocal supporter of the Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791, one of the earliest modern constitutions in Europe.

In the 19th century, the Plater name was also associated with the Polish uprisings against Russian rule. Władysław Plater (1808-1837) was a Polish military officer and a leader of the November Uprising of 1830-1831, while his brother, Ignacy Plater (1810-1847), was a participant in the Kraków Uprising of 1846.

The surname Plater has also been linked to various place names in Poland, such as the village of Platerów in the Masovian Voivodeship, and the town of Platerów in the Łódź Voivodeship. These place names likely originated from the Plater family's landholdings in those areas.

It is worth noting that the name Plater has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Plather, Plather, and Plater. While the surname is predominantly associated with Poland and the Polish diaspora, it has also been found in other parts of Europe and the Americas due to migration and cultural exchange.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Plater families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Plater surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 90 Platers recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.04x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 90 2.04x
Buckinghamshire 68 25.45x
Surrey 42 1.95x
Oxfordshire 29 10.63x
Bedfordshire 26 11.36x
Kent 25 1.66x
Staffordshire 19 1.27x
Essex 18 2.06x
Hampshire 18 1.99x
Cambridgeshire 15 5.36x
Durham 12 0.91x
Leicestershire 9 1.84x
Lincolnshire 8 1.13x
Worcestershire 8 1.39x
Yorkshire 8 0.18x
Norfolk 7 1.03x
Sussex 7 0.94x
Derbyshire 6 0.87x
Pembrokeshire 6 4.27x
Berkshire 5 1.51x
Hertfordshire 5 1.64x
Lancashire 4 0.08x
Warwickshire 4 0.36x
Cumberland 3 0.79x
Northumberland 3 0.46x
Dorset 2 0.69x
Northamptonshire 2 0.48x
Royal Navy 2 3.80x
Devon 1 0.11x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Haddenham in Buckinghamshire leads with 30 Platers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1369.86x.

Place Total Index
Haddenham 30 1369.86x
Thame 23 463.71x
Luton 20 50.49x
Aylesbury 17 143.58x
Newington 16 9.80x
Wisbech St Peter 15 106.84x
Walsall Foreign 12 15.57x
West Ham 12 6.23x
Westoe 12 16.10x
Bromley London 10 10.29x
Croydon 10 8.37x
Clee With Weelsby 8 51.71x
Leicester St Margaret 8 6.70x
Widley 8 493.83x
Clerkenwell London 7 6.71x
Islington London 7 1.63x
Maidstone 7 15.59x
Walsoken 7 171.15x
Yardley 7 47.43x
Battersea 6 3.69x
Brighton 6 3.99x
Chesham 6 60.91x
Dodworth 6 131.87x
Harborne 6 12.55x
Harrow On The Hill 6 67.95x
Kensington London 6 2.44x
Pembroke St Mary 6 33.19x
Tottenham 6 8.53x
East Malling 5 138.89x
Kingston On Thames 5 9.67x
Limehouse London 5 10.31x
Paddington London 5 3.08x
St Pancras London 5 1.41x
Tring 5 61.50x
Wanstead 5 32.72x
Bow London 4 7.11x
Cuddington 4 555.56x
Dymchurch 4 476.19x
Great Missenden 4 121.58x
Hornsey 4 7.16x
Leighton Buzzard 4 40.65x
Newbold Dunston 4 60.79x
Chelsea London 3 2.25x
Hackney London 3 1.21x
Marsh Gibbon 3 267.86x
Portsea 3 1.69x
Romsey Infra 3 97.72x
Shoreditch London 3 1.57x
Speen 3 55.25x
St George Hanover 3 5.20x
Stone 3 144.93x
Westgate 3 7.37x
Westminster St 3 18.42x
Whitehaven 3 14.79x
Bedford St Paul 2 12.75x
Buckland Newton 2 153.85x
Chesterfield 2 7.71x
Coventry St Michael 2 5.59x
Deptford St Paul 2 1.72x
Freshwater 2 48.31x
Harrow 2 29.63x
Lambeth 2 0.52x
Lewisham 2 2.49x
Leybourne 2 476.19x
Pendleton In Salford 2 3.20x
South Newington 2 408.16x
St Marylebone London 2 0.85x
Teddington London 2 19.98x
Westminster St James 2 4.40x
Aldershot 1 3.30x
Chartham 1 26.60x
Cossington 1 163.93x
Doncaster 1 3.13x
Dudley 1 1.43x
Moss Side 1 3.62x
Ramsgate 1 4.06x
Rotherhithe 1 1.83x
Twickenham 1 5.28x
Wokingham 1 13.21x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Plater surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Plater surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 24
George 15
John 14
Charles 13
Alfred 12
Frederick 11
Harry 11
Henry 11
Thomas 10
Joseph 9
Edward 8
Herbert 8
James 8
Arthur 4
Ernest 4
Frank 4
Walter 4
Wm. 4
Francis 3
Richard 3
Robert 3
Albert 2
Alexander 2
Benjamin 2
Daniel 2
Edgar 2
Edwin 2
Augustus 1
Dan 1
David 1
Eli 1
Elijah 1
Fredk.Wm. 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Gerald 1
Joe 1
Jos. 1
Joshua 1
Louis 1
Michael 1
Philip 1
Richd.J. 1
Richmond 1
Sidney 1
Soloman 1
Sydney 1
Tam 1
Thos 1
Wilford 1

FAQ

Plater surname: questions and answers

How common was the Plater surname in 1881?

In 1881, 454 people were recorded with the Plater surname. That placed it at #7,280 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Plater surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 691 in 2016. That gives Plater a modern rank of #7,785.

What does the Plater surname mean?

An occupational surname derived from Old English referring to one who made or worked with plates.

What does the Plater map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Plater bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.