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.

Lower, Mark A (1860) Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom. London: J.R. Smith. Public Domain.


Surname type: Occupational name

Origin: English

Region of origin: British Isles

Country of origin: England

Religion of origin: Christian

Language of origin: English

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