Poorman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Poorman is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Poorman family lived in Devon. Their name, however, is a reference to one of two places, Picardy, France, or Puers, Belgium, either of which could have been the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. At this time those who hailed from Picardy were referred to as Pohiers, and it was in this form that the name was probably first brought to England.

Another source notes "Poore was the equivalent not of 'pauper,' but of 'puer' or the Norman 'poer,' a knight or cadet of good family." 1

Early Origins of the Poorman family

The surname Poorman was first found in Devon. However, some of the family held a family seat at Durrington in Wiltshire since early times. "The church [of Durrington] is an ancient edifice with a pulpit of richly carved oak, and several of the pews are also embellished with carving, particularly the family pew of the Poores, which has a ceiling of oak, with an escutcheon of armorial bearings." 2

Roger le Poer (died 1186), was "one of the conquerors of Ireland, belonged to a family which is said to have derived its name from Poher, one of the ancient divisions of Brittany. In the reign of Henry II, William le Poer held lands in Oxfordshire, Herefordshire, and Gloucestershire, and Robert le Poer in Oxfordshire. Roger, Robert, William, and Simon le Poer are all said to have taken part in the conquest of Ireland." 1

His son Robert le Poer (fl. 1190), was one of the marshals in the court of Henry II.

About the same time, Herbert Poor or Pauper (died 1217), was Bishop of Salisbury, son of Richard of Ilchester and a few years later, his younger brother, Richard Poor, Poore, Poure or Le Poor (died 1237) was Bishop of Chichester, Salisbury, and Durham.

Walter le Poher was found in Lincolnshire in 1162 and later, Hugo le Puhier was listed in the Pipe Rills for Shropshire (Salop) in 1166. Hugo Puher was found in the puipe Rolls for Worcestershire in 1170 and in Northumberland, John le Poer was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1199. In Derbyshire, Roger le Puiher was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1204. 3

"Geoffrey and William Pouere, customary tenants of the Bishop of Ely at Wetheringsett (Suffolk) in 1221 (ElyA) were not likely to be Picards. In London, Henry Puer or Poer (1300 LoCt) was probably of this nationality, but whether Geoffrey le Power (1299 ib.) and John le Poer (1300 ib.) came from Picardy or were nicknamed 'the poor' cannot be determined." 3

Early History of the Poorman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Poorman research. Another 221 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1172, 1217, 1237, 1580, 1640, 1702 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Poorman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Poorman Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Poor, Poher, Poer, Poore and others.

Early Notables of the Poorman family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Richard Poore or Poor (died 1237), a medieval English clergyman best known for founding of Salisbury Cathedral. He was probably the son of Richard of Ilchester, also known as Richard Toclive, who served as...
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Poorman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Poorman Ranking

In the United States, the name Poorman is the 13,181^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Poorman family to Ireland

Some of the Poorman family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Poorman migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World 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 stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Poorman or a variant listed above:

Poorman Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Alice Poorman, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States, in 1906
Samuel Poorman, aged 34, who landed in America, in 1911
Winfield S. Poorman, aged 21, who immigrated to America, in 1920
J.T. Poorman, aged 27, who settled in America, in 1922
Joseph J. Poorman, aged 29, who immigrated to the United States, in 1924

Contemporary Notables of the name Poorman (post 1700) +

Christian L. Poorman (b. 1825), American politician in the Ohio House of Representatives, Ohio Secretary of State (1892 to 1893)
Thomas Iverson Poorman (1857-1905), American Major League Baseball outfielder and pitcher
Elizabeth L. Poorman, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for New York State Assembly from Kings County 20th District, 1922 5
Edward F. Poorman, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1920; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 19th District, 1920, 1924 5
Christian L. Poorman (d. 1907), American politician, Secretary of State of Ohio, 1891-93 5
Charles E. Poorman, American politician, Mayor of Canton, Ohio, 1918-19 5
Andrew J. Poorman, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Illinois, 1916 5
A. J. Poorman, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1920 5

The Poorman 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: Pauper non in spe
Motto Translation: Not poor in hope.

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html