Palle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

One of the most common classes of Scottish surnames is the patronymic surname, which arose out of the vernacular and religious naming traditions. The vernacular or regional naming tradition is the oldest and most pervasive type of patronymic surname. According to this custom, names were originally composed of vocabulary elements from the local language. Patronymic surnames of this type were usually derived from the personal name of the original bearer's father. The surname Palle is derived from the ancient Latin personal name Paulus meaning small. It has always been common in Christendom due to the importance and enduring popularity of St. Paul. "As a Christian name, examples are not common but it can hardly be regarded as 'a very rare name in the Middle Ages' in view of the numerous forms and derivatives." 1

St. Paul or Pol (d.573) "also called Aurelian, [was] bishop of Léon in Brittany, was the son of Perphius, Porfius, or Porfus, who in a late legend is called Aurelianus—namely, of Orleans—but this name probably did not belong to his family, and was first applied to the saint when his relics were moved to Orleans. He is said to have been born at Pen-hoen in Cornwall or Wales." 2

Early Origins of the Palle family

The surname Palle was first found in the East Riding of Yorkshire at Paull, a parish, in the union of Patrington, S. division of the wapentake of Holderness. The parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Pagele, and literally meant "place at the stake, (marking a landing-place)" from the Old English word "pagal." 3

Paul (d. 1093) "Abbot of St. Albans, a Norman by birth, was a kinsman, and according to tradition a son, of Lanfranc, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury." 2

In early times there were three settlements: Paull Fleet; Up Paull and Paull Holme. All merged in the 16th century or so to become Paull. Not withstanding the parish reference, due to the aforementioned personal name origin, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 show the scattered mention of the name at that time: Stephen Paul in Nottinghamshire; 4 and Thomas filius Pole in Derbyshire. 1

The lion's share of the family claim Scotland as their homeland and rightly so. "This surname is one of considerable antiquity in the parish of Daviot, and occurs in the parish of Fintry in 1654. It is also found in the Lothians and in Fife, where it is considered "by family tradition a Flemish name," but is not necessarily so. " 5

Paul, "Earl of Orkney (d. 1099), succeeded to the earldom while Orkney was under the suzerainty of Norway, conjointly with his younger brother, Erlend, on the death of their father, Earl Torfinn, in 1064. He was closely related to the reigning families both of Scotland and Norway, his mother, Ingibiörg, daughter of Earl Finn Arnasson, being cousin-german to Thora, wife of Harald Sigurdson (Hardradi), king of Norway, and mother of King Olaf the Quiet." 2

"Paul the Silent, Earl of Orkney (fl. 1130), ruled over the islands with his half-brother Harald. On the death of Harald, Paul ruled for a time alone. He was somewhat taciturn, spoke little at the Thing-meetings, and gave others a large share of the government. He was modest, gentle to the people, and liberal with his money among his friends. He was not warlike." 2

Early History of the Palle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Palle research. Another 154 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1309, 1327, 1349, 1404, 1528, 1546, 1563, 1599, 1631, 1637, 1659, 1663, 1665, 1678, 1685, 1696, 1707, 1716, 1744, 1787 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Palle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Palle Spelling Variations

Scottish surnames are distinguished by a multitude of spelling variations because, over the centuries, the names were frequently translated into and from Gaelic. Furthermore, the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent because medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. The different versions of a surname, such as the inclusion of the patronymic prefix "Mac", frequently indicated a religious or Clan affiliation or even a division of the family. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into Scotland, accelerating accentuating the alterations to various surnames. The name Palle has also been spelled Paul, Paule, Pauls, Paull, Paulls and others.

Early Notables of the Palle family

Notable among the family at this time was Sir Charles St. Paul of Gloucestershire; and William Paul (1599-1665), Dean of Lichfield, Bishop of Oxford in 1663. Another William Paul (1678-1716) was a Jacobite, the eldest son of John Paul, who possessed the small estate of Little Ashby, near Lutterworth, Leicestershire. He was arrested at least...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Palle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Palle family to Ireland

Some of the Palle family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 131 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Palle migration to the United States +

Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Palle, or a variant listed above:

Palle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Bennett Palle, who arrived in Virginia in 1621 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Palle (post 1700) +

Mogens Palle (1934-2022), Danish professional boxing promoter and manager involved in more than 200 matches for European and world titles, inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2008

The Palle 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: Pro rege et republica
Motto Translation: For King and state.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
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)
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)