Polly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Polly family

The surname Polly was first found in Cornwall where "in the ancient deeds of the Cornish family, the spellings Polwhele and Polhill are employed indifferently. The Polhills were certainly at Detling, co. Kent, in or before the reign of Edward II. An old spelling of the family was Polley." 1

"Polwhele, the seat of an ancient family of this name, is in this parish. The present representative is the Rev. Richard Polwhele, who now resides at Kenwyn, of whose literary character we have already spoken. The ancestors of this gentleman are said to have settled here prior to the Norman Conquest. Drogo de Polwhele was chamberlain to the empress Maude, early in the twelfth century, perhaps not fifty years after the Conquest. Their ancient castle, William of Worcester described as in ruins, about the middle of the fifteenth century. No vestige of this building remains; and the manor house, until lately repaired, discovered the effects of age, and furnished strong intimations of having passed through better days." 2

Once more into the archives we delved to find Walter de Polhey in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1248; William de Poleye in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 for Berkshire; Elias de Polye, de Polee in the Hundredorum Rolls for Norfolk in 1275; William de Polleye in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275; William Polleye in early Colchester record for 1346; and John Poley in the Assize Rolls for Essex in 1379. 3

Early History of the Polly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Polly research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1050, 1140, 1555, 1568, 1574, 1586, 1602, 1619, 1622, 1654, 1671, 1674, 1689, 1694, 1707, 1754 and 1805 are included under the topic Early Polly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Polly Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Polhill, Polwhele, Polwel, Polhel, Polhal, Polley and many more.

Early Notables of the Polly family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Margaret Polley (died 1555), English Protestant martyr from Rochester, Kent; Sir Edmund Poley (1619-1671), Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds; and his son, Henry Poley (1654-1707), an English Member of Parliament; and David Polhill (1674-1754), British politician, MP for Rochester, Bramber and Kent.Robert Poley, or Pooley (fl. 1568-1602), was an English double agent and government messenger employed...
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Polly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Polly Ranking

In the United States, the name Polly is the 11,321^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Polly migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Polly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Polly, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 5

Polly Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Samuel Polly, who landed in Virginia in 1701 5

Polly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Polly, who landed in New York in 1811 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Polly (post 1700) +

Mrs. Monojaha Polly Islam M.B.E., British founder of Zarah’s, and founder British Bangladesh Chamber of Women Entrepreneurs, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to charity and to the UK Bangladeshi community 6
Rosalind Polly Blakesley, née Gray, British reader in Russian and European art and fellow of Pembroke College, University of Cambridge, trustee of the National Portrait Gallery
Polly A. Penhale, American biologist and Environmental Officer at the National Science Foundation, known for her work in Antarctica, eponym of Penhale Peak in Antarctica
Polly Kissock, American actress, known for Bad Girls (1999)
Polly Higgins (1968-2019), Scottish barrister, author and environmental lobbyist, "one of the most inspiring figures in the green movement"
Polly Peyer, American retired Major General in the U.S. Air Force, former Director of Logistics, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, at the Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii
Polly Scattergood (b. 1986), English singer-songwriter from Wivenhoe, Essex
Polly Lauder Tunney (1907-2008), born Mary Josephine Lauder, an American philanthropist and Connecticut socialite, great grand niece of Andrew Carnegie, mother of John Varick Tunney
Polly Plum (1836-1885), pseudonym for Mary Ann Colclough, English-born, New Zealand feminist and social reformer
Lieutenant Polly Hatchard, British Royal Navy officer, the first military woman to reach the South Pole, member of the Royal Navy Polar Expedition (2006-2007)

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists