Pollard Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

Pollard Surname Name Meaning, Origin, History, & Etymology
There are four origin theories in regards to the last name Pollard. First, it could have developed as a nickname for a person with a close-cropped head, from the Middle English word poll, or the Middle Low German word polle, meaning the top of the head. Second, it may have developed from the medieval person name Polehard, a derivative of the personal (first) biblical name Paul (c. 5-65 AD, St. Paul the Apostle, Saul of Tarsus), with pole meaning heading and hard meaning strong or brave. A third is offered by William Arthur in his book titled An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names, published in 1857: “A tree having its fop cut off; a fish; Poularde, French, a fat chicken; Pol, Dutch, a loose or lewd man, and ard, disposition. Poule—ard, chicken—hearted”. Fourth, the surname Pollard could have developed as a locational name denoting a person who lived near the hear or end of a pool.

One author asserts Trelleigh in Redruth, Cornwall was “the seat of that most ancient family of Pollard, from whence all the others of that name were descended”.

Surname Spelling variants
Spelling or names with similar etymologies include Pollord, Polehard, Pollarde, Poullard, Polliard, Pollart, Polard, and Polhard.

Early Bearers of the Pollard Surname
The first known bearers of this surname was William Pollard who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Surrey in 1181 AD. William Pollard was documented in Scotland c. 1195 AD. John Polhard was recorded in the Close Rolls c. 1271 AD. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 AD, a census of Wales and England, known in Latin as Rotuli Hundredorum lists two bearers of this surname: William Polard (Cambridgeshire) and Stephen filius (son of) Pollard (Kent). Henry Pollard is documented in the Writs of Parliament in 1300 AD. Robert, Roger, and Geoffry Polard were documented in Normandy, France c. 1190 AD. Bernard, Godard, Richard, Robert, and Walter Pollard were listed in the Rotuli Curiae Regis in 1198 AD.

Popularity & Geographic Distribution
The last name Pollard ranks 937^th in popularity in the United Status as of the 2000 Census. The name ranks particularly high in the following five states: Virginia (425^th), Oklahoma (571^st), Idaho (624^th), Mississippi (708^th), and Maryland (711^th).

The surname Pollard frequency/commonness ranks as follows in the British Isles: England (426^th), Scotland (1,776^th), Wales (691^st), Ireland (953^rd) and Northern Ireland (1,873^rd). In England, it ranks highest in counties Cornwall, Leicestershire, and West Yorkshire. In Scotland, the surname ranks highest in Inverclyde. In Ireland, it ranks highest in Leinster. In Wales, it ranks highest in Gwynedd.

The name is also present throughout the remainder English speaking world: Canada (1,048^th), New Zealand (654^th), Australia (451^st), and South Africa (8,174^th).

In his 1890 book, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain, Henry Brougham Guppy, states the following in regard to this last name: “Pollard is a name established in different parts of England. It has been in Cambridgeshire for several centuries, and was numerous in the county in the reign of Edward I., when there were also a few of the name in Lincolnshire, Kent, and Essex”.

Pollard Family Tree & Pollard Genealogy

Pollard-Urquhart of Castle Pollard
The ancestry or genealogy of this family traces back to Captain Nicholas Pollard, son of Sir Lewis Pollard of King’s Nympton, who accompanied Robert Devereux (1565-1601), Earl of Essex, to Ireland and had a grant of the castle and lands of the main. He had a son, also named Nicholas Pollard, who was an Esquire of Castle Pollard, county Westmeath, Ireland born in 1567. He built the castle of Rathyoung, which was later called Castle Pollard. He had a son named Walter. This son, Walter Pollard Esq., married Ismay, daughter of Richard Nugent Esq. of Cargeen, and had a son with her named Walter as well. This son, Walter Pollard Esq. of Castle Pollard, was a Member of Parliament whose lands were erected into the manor of Castle Pollard, by letters patent. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Arthur Dillon of Lismullen, and had one son and one daughter with her. The son, Dillon Pollard, died without posterity. His sister and heiress, Letita Pollard, in 1696, married Charles Hampson Esq. of Scheereevy, Major in the Army and High Sheriff. Charles assumed the name and arms of Pollard. He died in 1729 and was succeeded by the eldest son of this marriage: Dillon. Dillon Pollard, Esquire of Castle Pollard, in 1724, married Anna Maria, daughter of James Naper of Loughcrew, and had one son with her named William. William married Isabella, daughter and heiress of John Morres of Bodentown, and had two sons with her: Dillon and John. He later married Sophia, daughter of William Bull of Dalkey, and had issue with her as follows: William Dutton, Sophia (married John Hill Forster), and Anna Maria (married Mathias Kenny). He died in 1790 and was succeeded by his eldest son Dillon. Dillon died without posterity in 1803 and was succeeded by his brother, William. William Dutton Pollard, Esquire of Kinturk was born in 1789. He was Lord of the Manor of Castle Pollard, Justice of the Peace, Deputy Lieutenant, and High Sheriff. He married Louisa Anne, daughter of Admiral Sir Thomas Pakenham, and had issue with her as follows: William (see below), Thomas Edward (Captain 72^nd Highlandsers), Walter James (Commander in the Royal Navy, married Jane, daughter of E. Keane, had a son), Gustavus Dillon (Captain of the 47^th Madras Native Infantry, married Rebecca Dysart, had children), George Augustus (married Annie, daughter of J. Smuth of Leicester, had issue), John Lukas Romulus (of H.M. 31^st Regiment, died in the Battle of Moodkee), Richard, and Charles (Bengal Engineers, married Maria Cele, had issue). He died in 1839 and was succeeded by his eldest son William. This son, William Pollard Urquhart, Esquire of Kinturk, Castle Pollard, And of Craigston Castle, county Aberdeen, High Sheriff, Deputy Lieutenant and M.A. who was born in 1815. In 1846, he married Mary Isabella, daughter and heiress of William Urquhart of Craigston Castle, and had the following children with her: Walter William Dutton (see below), Francis Edward Romulus (succeeded to the Craigston estate), Arthur de Capel Broke, Michael Bruce, Montague Alexis, Ralph Louis John, Ada Maria Louisa, Leonard Anna Maria Helen, and Octavia Hariette. His son, Walter William Dutton Pollard-Urquhart was an Esquire of Kinturk, Castle Pollard, county Westmeath, Ireland, a Justice of the Peace, Deputy Lieutenant, High Sheriff was born in 1870. This family was seated at Kinturk, Castle Pollard, Westmeath and Craigston Castle, Turiff, county Aberdeen.

Pollard-Urquhart of Scarr Hill
Joshua Pollard, Esquire of Searr Hill, West Riding, York, England, was born in 1794. He was a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant. He was the son of William Pillard of Scarr Hill and Beatrix North. The ancestors of this family are the Pollards of Bierley and Brunton. Joshua married Jane, daughter of John Sturges. Esquire of Bowling Hall, and had two issue as follows: William and Jane Sturges. William was born in 1827. He was a Justice of the Peace, Deputy Lieutenant, and was a Colonel in the 4^th West York Militia. In 1852, he married Jane, daughter of C. Bicknell of Southam and had two sons and three daughters with her. The Pollard coat of arms or Pollard family crest is blazoned as follows in the medieval European art of heraldry as follows: Ermine, a cross engrailed sable.

Marriages of Pollards
1) Jhacobum Pollard married Jenetta Hall in Cheshire, England in April 1614
2) Johem Pollard married Anna Wilson in Cheshire, England in November 1640
3) William Pollard married Ellin Rawlynmay in Staffordshire, England in March 1662
4) John Pollard married Ellen Emmett in Altham, Lancaster, England in June 1684
5) John Pollard married Sarah Orton in St. Michael, Coventry, England in December 1764
6) Mary Pollard married Mark Overton in Rutland, England in October 1767
7) John Pollard married Mary Pope in Chebacco, Massachusetts in December 1722
8) Joel Pollard married Mary Maynard in Rutland, Massachusetts in February 1770
9) Susanna Pollard married William Jones in Lunenberg, Massachusetts in November 1791
10) Simon Pollard married Melissa Dorsey in Stewart, Georgia in January 1877
11) May Pollard married Alexander Rudder in Knox, Tennessee in September 1899
12) Henry Clay Pollard married Josephine L. Taylor Dean in Providence, Rhode Island in June 1884

Early American and New World Settlers
Some of the earliest settlers in colonial America bearing this name include:
1) Anne Pollard came to Massachusetts in 1630
2) Thomas Pollard of Paraneuth, age 23, came in 1634
3) George Pollard came to Massachusetts in 1641
4) John Pollard came to Virginia in 1642
5) William Pollard came to Boston, Massachusetts in 1644
6) Christopher Pollard came to Maryland in 1655
7) William Pollard came to Virginia in 1659
8) John Pollard came to Maryland in 1662
9) Suzan Pollard came to Maryland in 1664
10) Amos Pollard came to Virginia in 1666
11) Margaret Pollard came to Virginia in 1666
12) Rebecca Pollard came to Maryland in 1666
13) Robert Pollard came to Virginia in 1668
14) Ann Pollard came to Virginia in 1668
15) Thomas Pollard came to Virginia in 1668
16) Hugh Pollard came to Maryland in 1670
17) Anthony Pollard came to Maryland in 1673
18) George Pollard came to Virginia in 1673
19) John Pollard came to Maryland in 1673
20) Richard Pollard came to Maryland in 1675
21) Phillip Pollard came to Virginia in 1677
22) Samuel Pollard came to Virginia in 1678
23) John Pollard came to Maryland in 1679
24) Joseph Pollard came to Boston, MA aboard the Trent in 1679

Several thousand members of the Pollard family came to the United States through Ellis Island, during the nineteenth century, including:
1) Edward Pollard came from England aboard the Colorado in 1869
2) John Pollard came from England aboard the France in 1868
3) James and Nanny Pollard came from England aboard the City of Boston in 1868
4) John J. Pollard came from England aboard the Henry Chauncy in 1868
5) James Pollard came from Ireland aboard the Germanic in 1880
6) Lucy Pollard came from Great Britain aboard the Memphis in 1844
7) Emma S. Pollard came from Hull, England aboard the Caronia in 1907
8) Dorothy Pollard came from Liverpool, England aboard the Etruria in 1906
9) William Henry Pollard came from St. Ives, England aboard the Carmania in 1906
10) Oscar Orle Pollard came from Cornwall aboard the Saint Paul in 1906
11) Nora Pollard came from Kilkenny, Ireland aboard the Lucania in 1901
12) Stanley Pollard came from London, England aboard the Lucania in 1907

Some of the earliest settlers in Canada bearing this name include:
1) Benjamin Pollard came to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1776
2) Richard Pollard came in 1796
3) Mary Pollard came to Prince Edward Island in 1837
4) Edward Pollard, age 35, came to Prince Edward Island in 1853
5) William Pollard came to Prince Edward Island or Toronto in 1844
6) Thomas Pollard, age 86, came to Prince Edward Island in 1860

Some of the earliest settlers in Australia bearing this name include:
1) William Pollard came from Middlesex, England to New South Wales aboard the Royal Admiral in 1800
2) William Pollard, age 32, came to New South Wales aboard the Surrey I in 1816
3) Charles Pollard came from London, England to New South Wales aboard the Fortune or Alexander in 1806
4) John Pollard came from Wiltshire, England to New South Wales aboard the Duke of Portland in 1807
5) John Pollard came from London, England to New South Wales aboard the Fortune in 1812
6) Henry Pollard came from Somerset, England to Australia aboard the Somersetshire in 1814
7) William Pollard came from Cambridge, England to Australia aboard the Ocean in 1815
8) Robert Pollard came from Lincolnshire, England aboard the Atlas in 1816
9) Charles Pollard came from Derbyshire, England aboard the Lord Melville in 1817
10) Wentworth Pollard came from Lancaster, England aboard the Asia in 1820
11) Richard Pollard came from Sussex, England aboard the Woodford in 1826
12) Benjamin Pollard came from Warwickshire, England aboard the Marquis of Hastings in 1827
13) Joseph Pollard, age 50, came to Port Phillip Bay aboard the John Bull in 1840
14) John Pollard came to Port Philip Bay aboard the Duchess of Northumberland in 1849
15) George Pollard came to Brisbane aboard the Light of the Age in 1864
16) Edward came to Hervey Bay aboard the David McIvor in 1863
17) William Pollard came to Hobart aboard the Emma Prescott in 1852
18) James Pollard came to Hobart aboard the Mercia in 1857
19) Susan and Amelia Pollard came to Port Jacson aboard the Bussorah Merchant in 1833

Grantees of Arms
1) Captain Edward John Pollard of the Royal Navy, of Wrotham House, Wrotham, and Hempstead, county Gloucestershire, England, c. 1868

Notables
There are hundreds of notable people with the Pollard surname. This page will mention a handful. Famous people with this last name include:
1) Charles Arthur Pollard (1897-1968) was an English professional rugby player who played from 1919-1932 for Wakefield Trinity, born in Wakefield, England
2) Amy Elizabeth Imrie (1870-1944), born Amy Pollard, was an heiress and very wealth woman in Britain who at the age of 37, became a Roman Catholic Nun, known as Sister Mary Clare, and is known for funding, building, and decorating St. Mary of the Angels Roman Catholic Church in Liverpool
3) George Pollard Jr. (1791-1870) was the captain of whaling ships such as Essex and Two Brothers, who served as the inspiration for Captain Ahab in Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick, born in Nantucket, Massachusetts
4) Harry A. Pollard (1879-1934) was an American silent film director and actor born in Republic City, Kansas, whose career spanned the years 1912-1932
5) John Garland Pollard (1871-1937) was the 51^st Governor of Virginia from 1930-1934, having previously served as the Mayor of Williamsburg from 1828-1829, born in King and Queen County, Virginia
6) John Pollard (1787-1868) was a Royal Navy officer who served under Admiral Lord Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, credited for killing the Frechman who shot and killed the Admiral
7) Lieutenant General Sir Reginald George Pollard (1903-1978) who served as Chief of the General Staff from 1960-1963 was a senior commander of the Australian Army, born in New South Wales
8) Tiffany Pollard (1982), nicknamed New York, is a reality TV star and actress known for her roles on VH1’s Flavor of Love and I Love New York, born in Utica, New York
9) Rover Ellsworth Pollard Jr. (1957) is an American singer-songwriter and musician who is the leader of the indie bank Guided by Voices, born in Dayton, Ohio
10) Ernest Charles Pollard (1906-1997) was a professor of biophysics and physics active at Duke University, Yale University, Penn State, and University of Florida, born in Yunnan, China, and published over 200 papers on nuclear physics, known for his work on radar systems in World War II

Pollard America Civil War Veterans
There were several soldiers with the last name Pollard who served in the American Civil War, including the following:
1) Bartlett G. Pollard of the 40^th Regiment New York Infantry (Union)
2) Andrew M. Pollard of the 38^th Regiment Illinois Cavalry (Union)
3) William N. Pollard of the 5^th Regiment Ohio Cavalry (Union)
4) Henry G. Pollard of the 6^th Regiment Vermont Infantry Charles E. Pollard of the 2^nd Regiment Connecticut Heavy Artillery(Union)
5) David A. Pollard of the New Jersey Light Artillery (Union)
6) William H. Pollard of the 7^th Regiment Michigan Cavalry (Union)
7) Jonathan F. Pollard of the 1^st Regiment Maine Cavalry (Union)
8) George R. Pollard of the 24^th Regiment Virginia Cavalry (Confederacy)
9) James J. Pollard of the 6^th Regiment Tennessee Cavalry (Confederacy)
10) Benjamin F. Pollard of the 11^th Regiment Arkansas Infantry (Confederacy)
11) William W. Pollard of the 9^th Regiment South Carolina Infantry (Confederacy)
12) Thomas A. Pollard of the 4^th Regiment Florida Infantry (Confederacy)
13) George W. Pollard of the 26^th Regiment Texas Cavalry (Confederacy)
14) Austin Pollard of the 41^st Regiment Mississippi Infantry (Confederacy)

Pollard America Revolution Veterans
There were several soldiers with the last name Pollard who served in the Revolutionary War, including the following:
1) Private James Pollard of Virginia
2) 2^nd Lieutenant Benjamin Pollard of Massachusetts
3) Private Joseph Pollard of Virginia
4) Corporal Thomas Pollard of Virginia
5) Private Andrew Pollard of Delaware
6) Barton Pollard of New Hampshire
7) Private David Pollard of New York
8) Private Elijah Pollard of New Hampshire
9) Private Ezekiel Pollard of New Hampshire
10) Isaac Pollard of Vermont
11) Private James Pollard of Rhode Island
12) John Pollard of New Hampshire
13) Private Jonathan Pollard of Massachusetts
14) Captain Richard Pollard of South Carolina
15) Private Thomas Pollard of New York
16) Private Timothy Pollard of New Hampshire
17) Private William Pollard of Virginia
18) Sergeant Robert Pollard of New Jersey

Blazons & Genealogy Notes

1) (Trelligh, co. Cornwall; Weye and Horwood, co. Devon; cos. Oxford and Worcester. Visit. Devon, 1620). (King’s Nympton, co. Devon, bart., extinct 1693; descended from Sir Lewis Pollard, Knt., Judge of the Common Pleas, son of Robert Pollard, second son of Joiin Pollard, of Way; Lewis Pollard, of King’a Nympton, was created a bart. in 1627). Ar. a chev. sa. betw. three escallops gu. Crest—A stag trippant ar. attired or.
2) (Pollard Hall, co. Durham, and Brunton and Bierley, co. York). Erm. a cross engr. sa. Crest—A falchion erect ar. gripe vert, hilt or.
3) (Poulton, co. Lancaster, originally from Bierley, co. York; represented by Pollard, of Parson Drove, co. Cambridge). Erm. a cross engr. sa. Crest—A falchion erect ar. pommel and hilt or.
4) (co. Devon). Ar. a chev. sa. (another, az.) betw. three mullets gu.
5) (Kelve, co. Somerset). Ar. a chev. sa. betw. three crescents gu.
6) (co. York). Vert a boar pass. ar.
7) (Hundhill, Pontefract, co. York). Ar. a chev. sa. betw three mullets pierced gu. Cresl—A stag trippant ar. attired or.
8) Ar. on a fess betw. three mallets sa. as many bezants.
9) Ar. a chev. az. betw. three escallops gu. Crest— A stag trippant ar.
10) (Castle Pollard, co. Westmeath; exemplified to Charles Hampson, Esq., of Aghacrevy, co. Cavan, and Lettice, his wife, only child of Capt. Walter Pollard, of Castle Pollard, on their assuming the surname of Pollard, 1718). Quarterly, 1st and 4th, ar. a chev. betw. three escallops az., for Pollard; 2nd and 3rd, ar. three hempbrakes sa., for Hampson. Crest—Out of a mural crown ppr. a greyhound’s head sa. collared ar. rimmed or.