Origin of the PLANK name

The name, with it's French & German equivalents, does not even appear in most books on surnames.  There are several possibilities but your guess is as good as mine:

• A topographical name for someone who lived near a crossing over a stream (ie a plank-bridge).
• An occupational name for a carpenter.
• A nickname for a thin person (ie someone as flat as a board).

There is also a strong link with France in that the name may well have been 'imported' when the Huguenots came here.