POLLARD
In Britain the surname Pollard is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period within the British Isles and especially to England. It is consistently recorded as an English Christian surname derived from the Middle English term pol(l)ard.
The original meaning of the word is most commonly interpreted as a nickname for a person or animal with a cropped or cut tail, or as a topographical reference to an area where trees that have been cut back to the trunk, known as pollards, were raised. Contemporary scholarship also recognises an occupational explanation, in which the name would have been borne by a woodcutter or a basket maker working with such timber or with other material for which the term pollard had a crop or cut connotation. A further possibility is a nickname for a person with a close‑cropped head, the derivation being the Middle English poll, meaning the head, joined to the intensive suffix -ard. Yet another line of etymology posits that the name began as a medieval personal name, Polhard, a derivative of Paul pronounced Poll by the late twelfth century, combined with the element -hard signifying strength or bravery.
Documentation of the surname is found in several important medieval records. The earliest recorded spelling occurs in the Pipe Rolls of Surrey in 1181 when William Pollard is listed, a period during which King Henry I, known as “the Builder of Churches,” reigned. In 1207 the name is recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire as Pollardus Forestarius. A further reference is made in the Hundred Rolls of Kent in 1275, where a person is mentioned as Stephanus filius Pollard.
In subsequent centuries, families carrying the name Pollard became established in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Yorkshire and also in County Westmeath in Ireland. Seven families, in particular, were granted heraldic bearings; eleven distinct coats of arms have been recorded for Pollard families in these regions. The heraldic tradition reinforces the importance of the surname in the local gentry during the medieval and early modern periods.
Several notable individuals have borne the surname, most prominently Sir John Pollard, who served as speaker of the House of Commons from 1553 to 1555. Another distinguished bearer was Sir Hugh Pollard, who died in 1666; he was a Royalist officer active in Devon and Cornwall during the civil war, later becoming governor of Guernsey and comptroller of King Charles XI’s household. These figures illustrate the social standing and political involvement of the Pollard families in later English history.
Through its myriad origins and documented presence across England and Ireland, the surname Pollard encapsulates several facets of medieval life: the significance of surnames deriving from nicknames, occupational roles, and landscape features. It remains a recognised name with a rich historical pedigree in the United Kingdom.
Typical given names associated with the Pollard surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jane
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
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 Pollard in...
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Pollard are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Rich Tea.
There are approximately 18,475 people named Pollard in the UK. That makes it the 468th most common surname in Britain. Around 284 in a million people in Britain are named Pollard.
Surname type: Nickname
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Pollard
- Eve Pollard - Journalist
- Su Pollard - Actress and singer
- Ackquille Jean Pollard - American rapper
- Luke Pollard - Politician, Labour Party MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, elected June 2017
- Kerry Pollard - Politician
- Albert Pollard - Historian who specialized in the Tudor period (1869 to 1948)
- Nick Pollard - News executive
- Ernest C. Pollard - Physicist (1906 to 1997)
- Alfred W. Pollard - Author and bibliographer (1859 to 1944)
- Graham Pollard - Bookseller (1903 to 1976)
- Brian Pollard - Football player
- Hugh Pollard - Intelligence officer (1888 to 1966)
- Hugh Pollard - Actor
- Dick Pollard - Cricketer (1912 to 1985)
- Gary Pollard - Football player
- John Pollard - Football player
- Sidney Pollard - Historian (1925 to 1998)
- John F. Pollard - Historian
- Sam Pollard - Methodist missionary (1864 to 1915)
- Vic Pollard - New Zealand association football player
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.