Pollard

Etymology

This surname is usually explained in one of two ways. In one line of interpretation, it comes from a nickname for someone with a close-cropped or shorn head, built on Middle English poll or pol, meaning the head, plus a suffix often taken as French -ard. In another, especially in older surname books, it is connected with place-names such as Pool or Pole, ultimately referring to a pool, lake, or water feature.

History

The name is found in medieval English records, and older writers noted examples such as Henry Pollard and other early bearers. It later became established in parts of England, including Cornwall, where some genealogists associated it with an ancient local family. Because the surname appears in more than one form and may have more than one origin, modern scholarship usually treats it as mixed or uncertain rather than deriving every bearer from a single source.

Origin

Regions

Variant spellings

Fun fact

The same root poll that appears in this surname also gave English the word pollard for a tree cut back to a stubby top.

Related surnames