Lower, Mark A (1860) Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom. London: J.R. Smith. Public Domain.
POYNTER
As described in historical dictionaries
Patronymica Britannica (1860)
POYNTER. POINTER. A. jioint, in ancient costume, was a kind of tagged lace, and hence a Pointer may have been a maker of such articles.* Some of the Poynters, however, are of French origin, being descendants of Ambrose Pointier, of Arras, who settled here at the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The armorials of this family arepoi»tciUj allusive ; the shield contains pointed piles; the crest is a hand holding a cross-fitchee, or pointed, to which the fore-finger points ; while the motto is Pense a jjointer.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English