POWER
The surname Power has a composite origin within the British Isles, reflecting migrations that accompanied major historical processes such as the Norman Conquest and the Anglo‑Norman invasion of Ireland. Its earliest recorded form appears in the Ancient Charters of Gloucestershire as Drog Poher in 1127, during the reign of King Henry I.
In England the name was introduced following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is thought to derive from the Old French words povre or poer, meaning “poor” or “humble”. Early medieval records in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex (1296–1332) list the name in several variants, including le Poer, le Power, and simply Power. The spelling was maintained by families whose members served as bishops of important sees: Richard le Poor, Poore or Poure, who became successive bishops of Chichester, Salisbury and Durham in the early thirteenth century.
Another significant source of the name is the locational surname Pohier, associated with the French town of Pois in Picardy. The town took its name from the Old French word pois, meaning fish, a reference to the abundant fishery of the surrounding rivers. After the Norman settlement of England, the surname le Poer was brought to Ireland by Norman crusaders of the 1170 invasion of Wexford led by Strongbow. In Ireland the name was Gaelicised as de Paor and later Anglicised to its modern form Power, becoming a highly Hibernicised surname in the period of the Anglo‑Norman incursion.
The heraldic arms associated with the Poore family of Oxfordshire are recorded as a silver shield featuring three black bars, nebulee in style, overlaid by a gold bend. These heraldic details provide a visual marker for the Anglo‑Norman pedigree of the name.
In contemporary usage, the surname Power remains most frequently encountered in Ireland, where it is borne by families of both Norman descent and later Gaelicised lineages. The name has also migrated to other parts of the world, notably the United States and Canada, through the Irish diaspora at the end of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, although its original European roots continue to be reflected in the spelling and pronunciation of the name today.
Typical given names associated with the Power surname
Male
- Anthony
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Patrick
- Stephen
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Ann
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Lisa
- 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 Power in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Power are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Chocolate chip cookie.
There are approximately 16,242 people named Power in the UK. That makes it the 545th most common surname in Britain. Around 249 in a million people in Britain are named Power.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Power
- Max Power - Football player
- Camilla Power - Actress
- John Power - Singer-songwriter
- Jahmek Power - Rapper
- Tyrone Power - American film, stage and radio actor (1914 to 1958)
- Dominic Power - Actor
- Manley Laurence Power - Royal Navy admiral (1904 to 1981)
- David Baynton-Power - Musician
- Eileen Power - Historian (1889 to 1940)
- Cyril Power - Artist (1872 to 1951)
- Paul Power - Football player
- Mark Power - Photographer
- Duffy Power - Singer (1941 to 2014)
- Penny Power - Businessman
- Lee Power - Irish football player
- Phil Power - Professional football player
- Arthur Power - Royal Navy admiral of the fleet (1889 to 1960)
- Clement Power - Musician
- Steve Power - Musician
- Hartley Power - Actor (1894 to 1966)
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.