# Custom Licence Plates — Seen in the Wild **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 11, 2023, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965 "2023-11-11T02:25:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 157
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3121 "2026-05-16T01:57:02Z")
**YALLHI**! is what a southern Yoda would say, and he would likely disapprove of **LRD␣VDRS** 1 car no matter the make or model. I do not know if he would also think the white Tesla I saw was **MAL-WER** even if it can’t be installed on your computer. When you buy a car make sure the one you get **4R4Y4T** 2 is not the same as the one you get **4WIF3Y** and it better not be the one you get **4FAM1** , or someone might buy one **4K4RM4**. You certainly would not want that one to go after you on a **GR8CHSE** and break **BONES␣23**. I think generally it is better to **BEPURE** and have a spirit of **GR8TDE** not be a **FUN␣HAWG**. `//i\\` 1 There was a storm trooper sticker on the car so I knew what the meaning was 2 I know someone named Rayette so that is what jumped to my mind when I saw the license plate ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3122 "2026-05-16T02:34:38Z")
Seen today in Wisconsin, on a black C6 Corvette with Wisconsin’s black Road America plate: **HTWHL**. Definitely a Hot Wheels. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3123 "2026-05-16T02:43:24Z")
Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3124 "2026-05-16T03:02:25Z")
**SWD SMD** on a Mercedes sedan. Not sure what that means. Maybe the initials of the driver and their spouse? **VETTMBL** on a Corvette. Probably self explanatory. **PSGOOSE** on an F250. Does “goose” refer to the waterfowl? The Top Gun character? Something else? And does the PS stand for “pose script”, like in a letter, or something else? **4LILYZ** on a California Firefighters specialty plate. I assume Lily Z. is a firefighter, and a loved one of the driver. Or maybe she was one who died in the line of duty. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3125 "2026-05-16T03:29:07Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > **4LILYZ** on a California Firefighters specialty plate. I assume Lily Z. is a firefighter, and a loved one of the driver. Or maybe she was one who died in the line of duty. I’d sooner expect Lily was the driver / owner & the plate (and perhaps truck too) was a gift from spouse. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3126 "2026-05-16T04:42:54Z")
Seen on the highway today: **LENTO** , Spanish and Italian for slow, and also a musical term. Ironically, they were speeding. **DA BORG** A DA named Borg??? **WET TEK** a tech who deals with wet stuff? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3127 "2026-05-16T05:29:53Z")
**DA BORG** A Star Trek reference was the first thing that popped up into my mind. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ea/I_Borg_Star_Trek_TNG_HD.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ea/I_Borg_Star_Trek_TNG_HD.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3128 "2026-05-16T10:53:04Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > **SRDAAAR** on a Jeep Wrangler. I guess “RDAAAR” could be “radar” or “raider”. Not sure about the S. Maybe a mountaineer? To quote wiki, a Sirdar is a Sherpa mountain guide who manages all the other Sherpas in a climbing expedition or trekking group; Sirdar is the most common spelling used in the majority of English-language mountaineering literature. **3RD XLKY** — pretty nice one. **CIT8R** — No idea what this could mean…? **TIGRIG1** — the owner is a TIG welder; Tungsten Inert Gas welding, a high precision welding method **NY PZZA4** on a pizza delivery car for, yes, New York Pizza. **FLAT6GT** on a Porsche Cayman GT. **YENDAHL**. The owner’s name is L. Hadney. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3129 "2026-05-16T14:40:55Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > **CIT8R** — No idea what this could mean…? I bet it’s “citator”. IOW, someone who cites things. Perhaps a lawyer or legal research asistant who looks up cases. Perhaps an academic or academic assistant who looks up relevant papers. Heck, maybe they’re real proud of their hobby as a Wikipedia editor. Or they write traffic or parking citations for a living. But I doubt I’d advertise that fact; it might make my car a target for generalized revenge against The Man. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3130 "2026-05-16T23:01:16Z")
**HARBR HR** on a Lexus sedan. They work in HR down at the harbor? **ROEGUE1** on a Camry. ROGUE 1 must have already been taken. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3131 "2026-05-16T23:04:08Z")
Seen this afternoon in suburban Chicago, on a standard Illinois plate: **MBR FOP 1**. Lodge #1 of the Fraternal Order of Police is located in the south suburbs (Calumet City), so my guess is that the owner is a member of that lodge. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3132 "2026-05-17T00:14:32Z")
Had a pretty good collection today. Some even interesting. - **M2LYT** on a FL 5-character surfer booster plate on a … BMW M240i. Bright red for extra go-fast. - **SAGIE** on a FL 5-character Olympic booster plate on a generic family wagon. A name I suppose. Booring! - **NO⎵LMIT** on a FL standard plate on an older red convertible Mustang. How old? It had the key slot ignition on the side of the steering column! Not something you see very often any more. And a handicapped parking hangtag. I’m hoping “No limit” is a comment about their indomitable spirit despite whatever physical shortcomings. - **BDUB** on a North Carolina fishing booster plate on a pickup truck. It was parked next to a fishing competition, so maybe they’re serious enough about fishing to have driven the ~800 miles from there to here. Either their initials are BW or they’re great fans of, or owners of a franchise of, Buffalo Wild Wings. I’m hoping the latter. - **EW1NG⎵2** on a FL standard plate. Last name of Ewing? Booooring again. - **DPRTS** on a FL 5-character fishing booster plate on a pickup truck all painted / wrapped as belonging to a local seawall and underwater construction company. “Deep parts”? “Departs”? - **CROSS⎵13** on a FL 7-character scuba booster plate on a ragged crossover. License plate frame said “Living the volunteer spirit” across the top and a logo plus “GFWC” across the bottom. Google suggests “GFWC” is the “General Federation of Women’s Clubs”, and “Living the volunteer spirit” is their motto. I can’t say what the connection between “cross” and women’s clubs is. They’re explicitly not a religious organization. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3133 "2026-05-17T18:39:46Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I bet it’s “citator”. You’re probably right. But, that’s a little weird. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3134 "2026-05-17T19:31:24Z")
A few years back, my parents and I were walking around a parking lot for a free concert, and I saw a license plate that read HOWDEE and I thought, well, someone’s friendly, but I’ve never seen that word spelled that way before. Then we got to the back yard, I saw the car owners and had a lightbulb moment. It belonged to How(ard) and Dee Lastname. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3135 "2026-05-17T19:42:33Z")
Cute. Of course the longer personal plates have been available and the more popular they become, the greater the percentage of conventional spellings of conventional ideas that get taken. Past that point only the creative spellings of novel ideas are still available. Howdee is a perfectly cromulent greeting in this modern era. Email addresses are similar. Darn few simple e.g. gmail addresses left. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3136 "2026-05-17T22:19:45Z")
Seen today: **ZIPPY2GO** **SPRKY22** **PSLM318** Has to be Psalm 31 verse 8, “I will rejoice and be glad in your mercy”, because it can’t be Psalm 3 verse 18. Psalm 3 has only 9 verses. **HIKING,** to the right of the **I ❤NY** logo on the left of the plate **CRUZSOLD**?? Cruz is a common Spanish/Latino last name. They’re a salesperson? **4PANI 2**?? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3137 "2026-05-17T23:20:30Z")
**OMG WINE** No comment necessary. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3138 "2026-05-17T23:22:31Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > **CRUZSOLD** They work in sales at a cruise ship company? I came up with a few today: - **EVIL⎵85** on a Virginia standard plate on a black Jeep Wagoneer. The windows weren’t tinted, the 50yo white guy driving looked more mild-mannered middle manager than threatening, and the small tan mop-dog on his lap with head out the window was adorable. I’m just not seeing the evil here. 🤷‍♂️ - **USPAY** on a FL standard plate on a Maserati SUV. Some Googling suggests “US Payment Services” are a semi-scammy bill payment / collection service based near here. But evidently profitable for their owners. I think maybe I found the evil. - **J-MYR** on a FL standard plate on a generic crossover. Somebody w first initial J and last name closer to Meyer. Boring. - **ZIMMS⎵Z** on a FL standard plate on a Hyundai Palisade large SUV. Maybe he (or she) had a Nissan Z before they got the kids and dogs that necessitated the 6 pax+ SUV. - **ZIL** on a blacked out plate on a blacked out Audi sedan. If you squinted _real_ hard it did sort of resemble a Soviet era limousine. Or the owner is an aging Russian expat with a wry sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![Topologist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/topologist/32/3208_2.png) [@Topologist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Topologist)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3139 "2026-05-18T04:08:36Z")
Seen today: **PUGGG** on a black Tundra pickup truck with no other markings. Multiple dogs of that breed? Nickname? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965/3140 "2026-05-18T09:03:04Z")
**SUG4R** Pretty obvious. **AUTS1M1** I was thinking autism but it was on an ordinary plate. We have an autism support plate. Why personalize it without giving them a little money? [![](https://mvmpublic.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/plates/AutismSupport.jpg) ](https://mvmpublic.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/plates/AutismSupport.jpg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965.md?page=156) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custom-licence-plates-seen-in-the-wild/992965.md?page=158)