Show ContentsPock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Pock family arrived in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Pock came from the Norman-French given name Pocin.

Early Origins of the Pock family

The surname Pock was first found in Leicestershire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Barkby. At the time of the taking of the Domesday Book, 1 a survey initiated in 1086 A.D., by Duke William of Normandy after his conquest of England in 1066, the village and Mill of Barkby was held by Leofric, an under-tenant, from Adelaide, the wife of Hugh de Grandesnil. However, in early times the estates were held by Walter Power, who had a daughter who married Peter Lincoln. The latter also had a daughter, Anne, who married William Willoughby, who also had a daughter, Alice, who married Richard Pochin and thenceforth the Pochins held Barkby. The name Pochin is derived from the Norman French Pocin but the relationship between the original Norman settlers at Barkby and Pochin is tenuous.

Early History of the Pock family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pock research. Another 133 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1647, 1687, 1711, 1756 and 1828 are included under the topic Early Pock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pock Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Pochin, Pocin, Pochen, Poching, Poaching, Pockin, Pochen, Pocken, Pochine, Pochinko and many more.

Early Notables of the Pock family

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


United States Pock migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Pock or a variant listed above:

Pock Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Christopher Pock, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 2
Pock Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Andres Pock, aged 25, who landed in America, in 1892
Pock Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Anton Pock, aged 26, who immigrated to the United States, in 1904
  • Fritz Pock, aged 5, who landed in America, in 1904
  • August Pock, aged 36, who settled in America from Kolki, Austria, in 1909
  • Eduard Pock, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States from Scheutzen, Austria, in 1923

Contemporary Notables of the name Pock (post 1700) +

  • Tobias Pock (1609-1683), Austrian Baroque painter
  • Horst Pock (b. 1967), Austrian slalom canoer


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. 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)


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