Show ContentsPoulson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The story of the Poulson family stretches back through time to the Viking settlers who populated the rugged shores of Scotland in the Medieval era. The name Poulson was derived from the personal name Paul. This name, which is derived from the Norse name Pál, was very popular among the Northmen.

Early Origins of the Poulson family

The surname Poulson was first found in Caithness (Gaelic: Gallaibh), the northern tip of Scotland, a Norse/Viking controlled region from the 9th century, which became the Earldom of Caithness, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Poulson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Poulson research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1370, 1456 and 1500 are included under the topic Early Poulson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Poulson Spelling Variations

Spelling variations are extremely common among Scottish names dating from this era because the arts of spelling and translation were not yet standardized. Spelling was done by sound, and translation from Gaelic to English was generally quite careless. In different records, Poulson has been spelled Polson, Poulson, Poulsen, Poulsin, Poleson, Pole and many more.

Early Notables of the Poulson family

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

Poulson Ranking

In the United States, the name Poulson is the 9,198th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Poulson migration to the United States +

Those who made the voyage were greeted with ample opportunity to acquire land and a political climate far away from the oppressive monarchy of the old country. They settled along the east coast of what would become Canada and the United States. In the American War of Independence, those who remained loyal to England traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In this century, many Scots living in North America have begun to recover their rich heritage through festivals, highland games, and Clan societies. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Poulson:

Poulson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Poulson, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 [2]
  • Anguette Poulson, who landed in Maryland in 1664 [2]
  • Andrew Poulson, who arrived in Maryland in 1666-1750 [2]
  • Paul Poulson, who arrived in Virginia in 1684 [2]
Poulson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Anders Poulson, who landed in Texas in 1850-1906 [2]
  • Knute Poulson, who landed in Texas in 1850-1906 [2]

Australia Poulson migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Poulson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Poulson, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emperor Alexander"on 6th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [3]
  • Mr. Henry Poulson, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Poulson (post 1700) +

  • Chris Poulson (b. 1980), American Musician
  • Zachariah Poulson (1761-1844), American editor and publisher
  • Michael Poulson (b. 1965), American "Old School" former professional Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer
  • C. Norris Poulson (1895-1982), American mayor of Los Angeles, California from 1953 to 1961
  • C Norris Poulson (1895-1982), American politician, United States Congressman, and mayor of Los Angeles from 1953 to 1961
  • Niels Poulson, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Utah, 1916 [5]
  • Mike Poulson, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Austin, Texas, 1985, 1988 [5]
  • Francis W. Poulson, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Ohio State Attorney General, 1928; Ohio Democratic State Chair, 1937 [5]
  • Christian Poulson, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Senator from Utah, 1916 [5]
  • Chris Poulson (b. 1904), American politician, Delegate to Alaska State Constitutional Convention, 1955-56 [5]
  • ... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emperor-alexander
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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