Surname Plathner - Meaning and Origin
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Plathner: What does the surname Plathner mean?
The last name Plathner is a German or Jewish surname. It is thought to have derived from the surname Platter, which was the term used to refer to a metal plate or disc used for cutting and slicing food. Many people with the last name Plathner are thought to be descended from families that manufactured or sold such items.
In German, the name Plathner has two meanings. It can refer to someone who plays the game of Platt, or to someone who is a copper or brass creator. Platt is a competitive card game which was traditionally popular in the German-speaking parts of Europe, specifically in Bavaria and Austria. As far as the copper or brass creator meaning, the surname is thought to have originated from a family of craftspeople who were involved in the production of items made of bronze, copper, or brass.
Plathner is a relatively uncommon name and is likely to be a combination of the two names Platter and Plattner. It is possible that the name may have been adopted by immigrants who had a career in metalwork.
In any case, Plathner is an interesting and unique name, with a possible linkage to a profession centuries old. It is also a reminder of the various influences and cultures that helped shape the name’s development and its current meaning.
Order DNA origin analysisPlathner: Where does the name Plathner come from?
Plathner is a surname found mainly in Germany, as well as other Germanic countries such as Austria and Switzerland, and is related to the analogous surname of Platter. It is also found in the United States in areas with significant German populations, especially the Midwestern states. In Germany, Plathner is quite common and is among the 500 most common last names. There are many small towns and villages with the Plathner name, including Plathner-Blösthänle in Baden-Württemberg.
The Plathner surname is believed to have originated as a nickname implying someone with a flat nose, deriving from Middle High German platte, meaning flat, plus ner, meaning nose. It later became a regional identifier, as residents of certain villages or towns often adopted the last name of their home. It is possible that the surname Plathner was used by many families who originally emigrated from Germany, and has been passed down since then.
Today, Plathner remains a relatively common surname, both in Germany and in German-American communities of the United States. The spelling Platter, on the other hand, is more common in the United States, as it is the Americanized version of the original German Plathner.
Variations of the surname Plathner
Plathner is a relatively uncommon, German-language surname. It is derived from the old German word ‘plat’, meaning ‘flat’, and ‘ner’, meaning ‘man’, to give a literal meaning of ‘flat man’. Other variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin include:
- Plätner: the modern German spelling of the surname
- Plattner: an alternative spelling of ‘Plathner’, which is sometimes found in US records
- Platner: an English-language spelling of the surname
- Plattenberger: a patronymic variant of the surname, meaning ‘son of the flattener’
- Plattnerin: a less common feminine variant of the surname
- Plattnerz: a variant of the surname found mainly in Austria and Bavaria
- Platten: a topographic surname derived from the German word ‘platten’, meaning ‘of a flat land’
- Plattendorf: a habitation surname derived from the German words ‘platten’ and ‘dorf’, meaning ‘village in a flat country’.
Despite the fact that this surname is quite rare, there is evidence of its presence over many centuries in German-speaking countries. It appears to have been most commonly found in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
Famous people with the name Plathner
- Sylvia Plath: Sylvia Plath was a famous American poet, writer, and novelist most well-known for her emotionally charged autobiographical works showcasing her struggles with mental illness. She is often credited with being one of the founders of the confessional poetry movement of the 1960s.
- Aurelia Plath: Aurelia Plath was Sylvia Plath’s mother. She was born in Poland and eventually moved to the USA where she married Sylvia’s father, Otto Plath.
- Otto Plath: Otto Plath was Sylvia Plath's father, born in Germany in 1885. He was an entomologist who taught at Boston University.
- Warren Plathner: Warren Plathner was a prominent architectural photographer in the late 1970s and 1980s. He specialized in industrial, commercial and residential structures. He also wrote several published articles on the subject of architecture and photography.
- Friedrich Plathner: Friedrich Plathner was a German linguist and the father of jan Plathner, an Austrian politician and member of the Austrian Parliament. He specialized in linguistics and was Professor of Comparative Linguistics at the University of Vienna.
- Jan Plathner: Jan Plathner was an Austrian politician and member of the Austrian Parliament. He was the son of linguist Friedrich Plathner and served as the National Council for the Austrian People's Party from 1996 to 1999.
- Tabitha Plathner: Tabitha Plathner was a renowned pianist, known for performing works by composers such as Chopin, Beethoven, and Debussy. She toured Europe and America and was lauded for her interpretations of classical works.