Where does the surname Plaud come from?

Question

It's my surname and one of the rarest. It doesn't even have a coat of arms, or any meaning applied to it. I've looked into it for many years ad still not even an inkling of where it came from?

Any tips or something to help out in my genealogy?

Answer 1

It sounds German to me only because the word "blau" which means blue in German sounds similar. Is it pronounced "Ploud?" because then I'm probably right. Even if it's pronounced "Plod," it might still have originally been pronounced "Ploud" and simply Anglicized.

Answer 2

www.familysearch.org

will give you a list of the DIFFERENT locations that it has been found, including Germany and France.  Which one is right FOR YOU depends on tracing your ancestor and finding where he came from.  By the way.. genealogy IS tracing the person, and not the name.  

Many times, a name comes about as a variation of another name. Example, the name Dauphinais is French Canadian.. but after immigration, it wound up being Dolphay / Dolfay.  No one could spell or pronounce Dauphinais.  What this says.. Dolphay HAS no meaning.

And, just a clue.. most names do not have valid coats of arms. They are awarded to persons, not to families or names.  Vendors sell these, which are often verging on c**p. Even the common ones do NOT belong to anyone with the name, but that's the business, and they don't tell you the facts. Not when trying to sell you something (which is misleading to start with).

http://rwguide.rootsweb.ancestry.com/

Wendy's advice for the night, read the above guide for genealogy. Don't mess with looking for your surname (you have many ancestors, all with different names). Start with you, collect your records back, and you will eventually find the immigrant ancestor.  AND where he comes from.

edit

hmm.. while you are there at rootsweb, take a gander at the social security death index.  It has 50 persons with the name.. I was surprised to find some had number issued out of Puerto Rico.  Your path might still go back to Germany, France, or ?? but the details and records may be in a surprising place.  Just a possible stop on the trail.

Answer 3

Plaud is a French name.

Joe Plaud