Poage History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The roots of the name Poage are found among the Strathclyde-Briton people of the ancient Scottish/English Borderlands. Poage was originally found at Pollok (Gaelic: Pollag), a large district on the south-western side of the city of Glasgow, home to Crookston Castle, where Mary, Queen of Scots, was once held. The name of the town has Gaelic origins, from the word 'poll', meaning "pool" or "pit".

Early Origins of the Poage family

The surname Poage was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, where the first occurrence of the name is Peter, son of Fulbert or Fulburt who was granted the lands of Upper Pollock by the High Steward, and who took the surname from the lands, making him the first Pollock. Peter gave the church of Pulloc and its pertinents to the monastery of Paisley, sometime between 1177 and 1199. Within that same period of time, he also confirmed the charter of his brother Helias of Perthic to the same house. Peter also possessed lands in Moray and circa 1175, he witnessed the charter by William the Lion granting Burgin to the Abbey of Kinlos. 1

Circa 1230, Murial de Polloc, a daughter of Peter, gifted her land of Inuerorkel and all its pertinents for the benefit of the hospital erected beside the bridge of Spey for the reception of travelers. Continuing this pattern of generosity, Robert de Pollok granted to the monastery of Paisley, during the reign of Alexander II, alms of twelve pennies a year from the rents he earned from his lands. Other important Pollocks include John Pollok who was both steward of the Abbey of Arbroath and sheriff of Forfar. 1

In England, Pook was a popular variant and in this case, the family was probably from Puckney Gill in the parish of Charlwood, County Surrey, so called from the Old English word "puca" (goblin) and "eg" (island). 2 The surname is first found in Sussex in 1332 as atte Pukenegh, and occurs also in County Surrey at about the same date. From the fourteenth to the seventeenth century the name was largely confined to a small central area of central Sussex, around West Grinstead. The name was also occasionally used as a nickname 'the puk' from the complexion of hair or dress, a colour between russet and black. 3

William Puch was documented in the year 1166, and appears to be the first of the name on record. William le Puk of County Somerset, was documented during the reign of Edward III (1327-1377) and John Pouk was recorded in County Somerset at the same time. 4

Early History of the Poage family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Poage research. Another 220 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1234, 1272, 1590, 1603, 1660, 1827 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Poage History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Poage Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that rules have developed and the process of spelling according to sound has been abandoned. Scottish names from before that time tend to appear under many different spelling variations. Poage has been spelled Pollock, Pollocke, Polk, Polke, Pollok, Pollick, Polloch, Pook, Pooke, Poock, Pogue, Poag, Poage, Poague, Poak and many more.

Early Notables of the Poage family

More information is included under the topic Early Poage Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Poage family to Ireland

Some of the Poage family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 96 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Poage migration to the United States +

Unwelcome in their beloved homeland, many Scots sailed for the colonies of North America. There, they found land and freedom, and even the opportunity to make a new nation in the American War of Independence. These Scottish settlers played essential roles in the founding of the United States, and the shaping of contemporary North America. Among them:

Poage Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Poage, who settled in Virginia in 1740
Robert Poage, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1740 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Poage (post 1700) +

Richard M. Poage, American Yondan (4th Degree Black Belt) in Kobayashi Shorin-Ryu Karate
Ray Poage (b. 1940), American football tight end in the National Football League
George Coleman Poage (1880-1962), first African American athlete to win a medal in the Olympic Games, he won two bronze medals for 400m and 200m hurdles at the 1904 games 6
William Robert Poage (1899-1987), Texas politician
William Robert Poage (1899-1987), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Texas State House of Representatives, 1925-29; Member of Texas State Senate, 1931-37; U.S. Representative from Texas 11th District, 1937-78 7
W. S. Poage, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Virginia, 1916 7
Richard C. Poage, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Virginia, 1952, 1960 7
James S. Poage, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Illinois, 1864; Delegate to Illinois State Constitutional Convention 32nd District, 1869-70 7
James H. Poage, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 9th District, 1918 7
Donald E. Poage, American politician, Mayor of Coos Bay, Oregon, 1979-81 7

The Poage Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Audacter et strenue
Motto Translation: Boldly and earnestly.

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Athletes - Famous Olympic Athletes, Medalists, Sports Heroes. (Retrieved 2011, June 13) George Poage. Retrieved from http://www.olympic.org/content/olympic-athletes/generic-athlete-page/?athleteid=57507
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html