POOK
Pook is a surname of English and German origin that has been attested for almost nine centuries. The earliest surviving mention occurs in the Norfolk Pipe Rolls of 1166, where a William Puch is recorded; this provides firm documentary evidence that the name was in use during the reign of King Henry I (1154‑1189).
The name is normally understood to have emerged as a nickname or descriptive label. In the early medieval period the Old English word puca (an early form of peac meaning “elf, sprite, or goblin”) was rendered in Middle English as pook or puck. As such, the surname may have originally been applied to someone whose small stature or whimsical manner resembled that of a mischievous spirit. In another tradition the name pook is thought to be a variant of the surname Pooke, itself a nickname for a man with a pock‑marked or scarred face. Yet a further possibility is that the name derives from the German surname Puch, which denoted a person who lived near a hill or mound.
Record keeping from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries shows the surname in a variety of spellings: for example, Richard le Pouke appears in Sussex in 1296 and John le Puk in the same county in 1332, while elsewhere a Richard Pouk is found in Somerset in 1327. In the sixteenth century, a Samuell Pooke of London is recorded in 1667. Church registers later document individuals such as an Awdry Pooke christened on 16 July 1564 at Harrow on the Hill, an Roger Poake who married Anne Beddington on 10 July 1603 at St Giles, Cripplegate, and a Richard Pook minor christened on 19 July 1639 at St Margaret Moses.
In the United Kingdom the surname is most strongly represented in the counties of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, where it appears under its original spelling as well as in the variants Pooke, Pooks and Powk. The name has also spread abroad, with modern concentrations reported in Canada, Australia and the United States. In the United States the surname is predominantly found in the states of New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Several variant spellings and closely related surnames are documented. The most common alternative is Pooks, which substitutes the letter s for the final e and dates back to at least the sixteenth century. Other recorded forms include Poole, Powk, Pooley and Pookes. In addition, the name shares a close relationship with surnames such as Pooler (from Poole in Dorset), Poeller and Powers; these variations are typically tied to the places or surnames from which the original bearers originated.
Across the centuries the surname Pook has remained a relatively uncommon but well established family name. Its survival can be attributed to its clearness as a personal identifier in a world where distinguishing individuals sharing a common first name was of practical importance. The continued presence of the name in contemporary records reinforces its enduring role as a marker of personal and familial identity within the broader tapestry of British and European nomenclature.
Typical given names associated with the Pook surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- Anthony
- Barry
- Christopher
- David
- Jason
- Joe
- Richard
- Robert
- Simon
- Stephen
- Thomas
Female
- Angela
- Deborah
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jean
- Jennifer
- Joanne
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- 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 Pook in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 1,441 people named Pook in the UK. That makes it roughly the 5,525th most common surname in Britain. Around 22 in a million people in Britain are named Pook.
Famous people named Pook
- Siobhan Benita née Pook - Political candidate
- Jocelyn Pook - Composer, pianist
- Michael Pook - Football player
- David Pook - Football player
- John Pook - Writer
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.