Explore the Family Name Pollard
The meaning of Pollard
English: 1. from the Middle English (Old French) personal name Pollard, a pet form of Paul (Old French Pol). The surname has been established in both England and Ireland since the 13th century. 2. perhaps a nickname from an unrecorded Middle English pollard, a derivative of the Middle English verb poll ‘to clip’ or the noun poll ‘the head’. It may have denoted someone with a close‐cropped head or a big head.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Pollard in the United States?
According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Pollard experienced a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 937th in popularity with a count of 34,079 people bearing the name, representing a proportion of 12.63 per 100,000 people. By 2010, the rank had dipped to 974, even as the count increased to 35,749, representing a proportion of 12.12 per 100,000 people. This change indicates a decrease of 3.95% in popularity ranking despite a 4.9% increase in the number of people with the surname.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #937 | #974 | -3.95% |
| Count | 34,079 | 35,749 | 4.9% |
| Proportion per 100k | 12.63 | 12.12 | -4.04% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pollard
Ethnic identity data derived from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the distribution of the Pollard surname among different ethnicities also shifted between 2000 and 2010. The largest percentage of the Pollard surname was found in the white demographic, accounting for 65.1% in 2000 which decreased to 62.77% in 2010. The Black community had the second-highest use of the surname at 30.34% in 2000, which increased slightly to 31.39% in 2010. The Hispanic community saw the most significant increase, with usage rising from 1.54% to 2.33%. Similarly, the Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaskan Native communities also saw increases, from 0.46% to 0.55% and 0.49% to 0.57% respectively. The representation of the surname in the population of those who identified as two or more races also increased, going from 2.08% to 2.40%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 65.1% | 62.77% | -3.58% |
| Black | 30.34% | 31.39% | 3.46% |
| Two or More Races | 2.08% | 2.4% | 15.38% |
| Hispanic | 1.54% | 2.33% | 51.3% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.49% | 0.57% | 16.33% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.46% | 0.55% | 19.57% |
Pollard ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Pollard is British & Irish, which comprises 53.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.2%) and Nigerian (4.8%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Italian, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 53.4% |
| French & German | 20.2% |
| Nigerian | 4.8% |
| Other | 21.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Pollard
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Pollard have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 79.80% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 79.50% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 79.50% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 79.30% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 79.10% |
What Pollard haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Pollard is R-L2, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L2 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-Z2961, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Hudson, Craig, Pratt, Fletcher, Skinner, Roberts, Winters, Dawson, Mills, Robinson.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Pollard surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara
Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.
What do people with the surname Pollard have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Pollard" Surname 34.9%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Pollard" Surname 26.2%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Pollard" Surname 22.4%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Pollard" Surname 19.5%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Pollard?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Pollard are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition