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![Show Contents]() Potok History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The ancient history of the Potok name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in the village of Puttock in the county of Sussex. This habitation surname was originally derived from the Old English word puttoc which means kite, denoting a bird belonging to the hawk family. Early Origins of the Potok familyThe surname Potok was first found in Sussex where one of the first records of the family was Aelfricus (Aefric) Puttoc (died 1051) Archbishop of York (1023-1041) and Bishop of Worcester. He may have been the bishop who crowned Harold Harefoot king of England in 1036. However, when Harthacnut became king, he and others were charged to disinter Harold's body and throw it away. By the Battle of Hastings they had branched westward to Somerset where Aluried Puttoch held estates at that time. Early History of the Potok familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Potok research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1227, 1270, 1273 and 1601 are included under the topic Early Potok History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Potok Spelling VariationsUntil quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Potok include Puttoch, Puttock, Puttoc, Puttick, Puttoche, Puttocke, Putticke, Putteck, Puttex, Putton, Putten, Potton, Puttone, Pottone, Pottock, Pottocke, Pottoch and many more. Early Notables of the Potok familyMore information is included under the topic Early Potok Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Potok familySearching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Potok or a variant listed above: David Putten who landed in America in 1753; William Puttex (Puttecks) settled in Barbados in 1634.
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