Origin of the Name

Hanging on my wall is one of those framed documents that I bought at the local mall containing a reproduction of a Playter (or Plater) Coat of Arms. Now I know that this coat of arms may not necessarily be for my family, but it is a great conversation piece none the less.

It is always interesting to find out the origin or translation of one's name. How often do we meet someone from across the ocean with an interesting sounding name, and ask them what their name means? How often do we ask that of our own names?

I have come across a couple of plausible origins of the name Playter/Plater, and I wanted to share them with you. Let me know what you think!

An English origin is fairly obvious: a Plater is someone who makes plates! Now this could be something simple, like plates that you eat off of or serve food on. Or, for the more romantic minded, someone who makes armour, like breast plates, plate mail, etc.

There is also a possible French connection to the name Playter/Plater. The name could also have originated with the French word "Plaider" meaning "to Plead", as in what a lawyer would do.

Another interesting direction for my surname is when you look for the phonetic translation of the name into Chinese! If you break the name into three sounds: PL - LAY - TER a phonetic translation would be PUO - WEI - TER. Litterally, puo means "wave", wei means "great", and ter means "extraordinary, special, unique, outstanding". So, PLAYTER means OUTSTANDING GREAT WAVE, or if I am allowed some poetic license: TSUNAMI. How is that for a conversation piece?

Here are the Chinese characters for puo, wei, and ter:

puo = wave






wei = great






ter = outstanding




Links:
Coat of Arms Store
Chinese Words Database

Plater Drive, Oxford (UK)

I have come across a Plater Drive in Oxford, UK. From the pictures, this looks like a very nice neighbourhood! I received a note from someone who lives in the area and have learned that the estate is roughly 10 years old (c1999). There are a number of streets in the area named after local Colleges, so it seems likely that Plater Drive was named after Plater College (more later).

Here is a link to Plater Drive from Google Maps. Be sure to check out the satelite photo of the street and the surrounding area.
Plater Drive, Oxford OX2 6, GB
Google Maps also has a "Street View" set up for this neighbourhood. Street View gives you a series of 360 degree photos at street level that can simulate a drive down the streets. You have to check it out!

As it is the purpose of this Blog, I am hoping to hear from anybody who knows about this street. Does anyone have any pictures that they could share? Does anyone know it's history: Where did Plater Drive get its name? Drop me a line!

Welcome to Playterville

Welcome to the Playterville blog. I thought that I would delve into the world of "blogging" after seeing how family members and friends have been enjoying the experience.

I have been researching my family tree now for many years. The name Playter (Plater, Playters, etc.) is not a common one, and whenever I come across the name in my research that didn't fit with my immediate family, I would file that tidbit for later. As eventually, I would find a way to connect that tidbit to my family tree.

All this information that I have is quite interesting, but I had no forum with with to share with others, to encourage others to come forward with their information to add to what I have.

A few years back, I did try my hand at maintaining my own website (also named Playterville) but found I did not have the time that was required to maintain it. This blog idea seems like a more enjoyable alternative!

Within this blog, you will find articles on streets, parks, and even mountains that have been named after someone named Playter. Where possible I will include photos that I have take (or found). I will also outline newspaper articles about Playters, biographies, obituaries, etc. I will strive to "flesh out" these articles with information regarding the person or family involved. Often the information that I have is very sketchy, so I hope that you are encouranged to comment on the articles and send me information to add to or correct what I have written.

Feel free to comment, and add anything to these stories as you see fit. Perhaps you have a question? I look forward to sharing with you!