POLL
Poll is a surname of English, Scottish and Hebrew provenance. The name is found throughout the British Isles, where the majority of bearers have historically identified as Christian.
The English and Scottish forms of Poll can arise from several independent etymologies. One derivation is the Middle English word pol or poll, meaning head or top; this would have served as a nickname for a person with a distinctive or prominent head. Another possibility is that it is a variant of the habitational surname Poole, which was applied to people who lived near a pool or pond.
In England the name is linked to a topographical surname for someone who lived close to a body of water. The original Old English element pol, recorded before the seventh century, denoted a pool. Several place‑names—Pool or Poole—in Yorkshire, Devonshire, Dorset, Cheshire and Gloucestershire were all derived from this element, signifying the pool. The Yorkshire settlement is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Povele, and earlier around 1030 as Pofle, suggesting a lineage from Old English Poffle, meaning a small piece of land.
Variations of the surname, including Pool and Poole, may also appear as English forms of the medieval personal name Paul.
The earliest documented instance of the family name is Mauritius de la Pole, dated 1166 in the Norfolk Pipe Rolls of the reign of King Henry XI, known as The Builder of Churches. This record demonstrates that the name was in use as early as the late twelfth century.
Unlike many surnames that develop a single, identifiable origin, Poll can signify different things depending on the particular family history. A thorough genealogical investigation is required to determine whether a specific branch of the name descends from the medieval English habitational form, the Middle English nickname, or a separate lineage.
In addition to the English and Scottish traditions, the surname Poll is recognised in a Jewish context, where it derives from the Hebrew word Peul, meaning wonderful or miraculous. This usage, however, is distinct from the European origins and reflects the diverse ways in which the surname has been adopted across cultures.
Typical given names associated with the Poll surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Jonathan
- Michael
- Nicholas
- Nigel
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Barbara
- Betty
- Carol
- Claire
- Deborah
- Jacqueline
- Janet
- Karen
- Katharine
- Katherine
- Margaret
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
- Sylvia
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Poll in...
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There are approximately 775 people named Poll in the UK. That makes it roughly the 8,993rd most common surname in Britain. Around 12 in a million people in Britain are named Poll.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Poll
- Graham Poll - Football referee
- Philip Poll - Professional wrestler
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.