Origin
Pal : 1: Indian (West Bengal) and Bangladeshi: Kayastha name from Sanskrit pāla ‘protector keeper guard herdsman’ (compare gopāla ‘cowherd’) an epithet of the god Krishna and a common personal name. A Pala dynasty that was founded by a certain Gopala in the 8th century ruled in Bengal and Bihar until the 12th century.2: Hungarian (Pál): from the personal name Pál Hungarian form of Paul. This surname is also found in Slovakia (mainly spelled Pál) and especially in Romania.3: Slovenian and Croatian: of Hungarian origin (see 2 above) or from a Hungarian-influenced form of the Slovenian and Croatian equivalents of the personal name Paul (Slovenian Pavel Croatian Pavao).
Borst : 1: German (also Börst): from Middle High German borst(e) ‘bristle brush’ hence a nickname for someone with a prickly temperament or a metonymic occupational name for a brush maker. Compare Boerst.2: Dutch: nickname for a pal companion juvenile or student from the Middle Dutch word borst from Latin bursa; compare Bursch. Or a topographic name from bors with t- plural which word possibly indicates ‘bog myrtle’ while bors also is an old word for ‘bear’. The third possibility is a physical nickname in relation to the word borst ‘breast chest’ for someone with a broad or hairy chest.
Digpal : a sub-caste of the Bhatra Sikh caste widespread in India. This name derives from degh ‘four directions’ and pal ‘protector’ indicating that this group were protectors (of the religion) in every direction.
Pahl : 1: German: from a vernacular form of the personal name Paul.2: North German: metonymic occupational name for a pile driver from Middle Low German pāl ‘pile post border marker’ or a topographic name for someone living close to one.
Pahlen : North German: topographic name derived from Middle Low German pāl ‘post stake boundary marker’. Compare Palen.
Palgrave : from Great Palgrave (Norfolk) which is recorded as Pag(g)raua in 1086 and Paggrave in 1202 or from Palgrave (Suffolk) which is recorded as Palegraua in 1086 and Pallegrafe in the 11th century. The Norfolk place-name probably derives from an Old English personal name *Pæcga or *Pacca + Old English græf ‘grave pit trench’ or grāf ‘grove’. The Suffolk place-name probably derives from Old English pāl ‘stake pole’ + grāf ‘grove’; however if the -ll- in the 11th century form is significant the initial element could be an Old English personal name *Palla or Old English *pall ‘ledge’.
Pali : 1: Hungarian (also Páli): patronymic from the personal name Pál Hungarian equivalent of Paul.2: Indian: unexplained.
Paling : 1: English: usually a variant of Palin.2: English: occasionally perhaps a habitational name from Poling (Sussex). The placename probably derives from Old English pāl ‘stake pole’ or a personal name derived from this word + the groupname suffix -ingas (genitive -inga). However it is uncertain that this surname has survived.3: Dutch: metonymic occupational name for a seller or catcher of eels from Middle Dutch paeldinc modern Dutch paling ‘eel’. Compare Paulding and Pawling.
Palko : 1: Hungarian (Palkó): from a pet form of the personal name Pál Hungarian form of Paul.2: Slovak (also Paľko) Ukrainian Rusyn Croatian and Serbian: from a pet form of the personal names Pavol (Slovak) and Pavlo (Ukrainian and Rusyn) equivalents of Paul or from the cognate personal name Palko of Hungarian origin (see 1 above). At least in Croatia the surname itself is in part of Hungarian origin.3: Slovenian: probably a nickname derived from paliti ‘to burn (land for cultivation) to char’ or alternatively a derivative of the personal name Pavel (see Paul compare above).
Pall : 1: Indian: variant of Pal 1.2: Hungarian (Páll): variant of Pál (see Pal 2).3: English: perhaps from a Middle English survival of the Old English personal name Pælli.4: English: perhaps from Middle English pal(le) Old English pæll ‘(fine) cloth or clothing’ ‘cloak mantle robe (of fine cloth)’ a nickname for someone who was distinguished by the costly cloak or robes that he wore or who made and sold such items.5: English: topographic name from Old English peall pall ‘ledge’ signifying one who lived at or near a ledge or terrace.
Palla : 1: Italian: from palla ‘ball’ used as a metonymic occupational name for a maker of cannon balls or as a nickname for a player of ball games or someone with a rotund figure.2: Italian: from Palla a short form of the personal name Pallade derived from Greek Pallas an alternate name of the goddess Athena.3: Galician: probably a nickname from palla ‘straw’.4: Hungarian: from the personal name Pál (see Pal).5: Czech Slovak and Polish: variant of Pala and in North America also an altered form of this.6: Albanian: nickname or metonymic occupational name from pallë (definite form palla) ‘battle sword’.7: Indian (Gujarat): Muslim name of unexplained etymology.8: Indian (Punjab): Sikh name probably from Punjabi pəllā ‘edge of a garment support’.
Pallo : Hungarian (Palló): from a pet form of the personal name Pál Hungarian form of Paul.
Palos : 1: Spanish: habitational name from Palos de la Frontera the port in Huelva from which it is said Columbus’ ships set sail.2: Hungarian (Pálos): from the personal name Pál Hungarian form of Paul. The surname Pálos is also found in Slovakia.3: Croatian (Paloš): from a derivative of the Hungarian form of the personal name Paul (see 2 above) or from paloš a word of Hungarian and ultimately of Turkish origin denoting a kind of sabre.
Paulden : from Pauldon in Prestwich with Oldham (Lancs). The etymology of the place-name is uncertain though it may derive from Old English pāl ‘pole’ + denu ‘valley’.
Paulding : 1: Americanized form of Dutch Paeldinck: metonymic occupational name for a seller or catcher of eels from Middle Dutch paeldinc modern Dutch paling ‘eel’. The surname Paeldinck is no longer found in the Netherlands.2: English (Lancashire): habitational name from Pauldon in Prestwich with Oldham (Lancashire). The placename may derive from Old English pāl ‘pole’ + denu ‘valley’.
Pawlett : 1: from Pawlett (Somerset) which is recorded as Pavelet and Paulet in 1086 and Poulet in 1186. The place-name may derive from Old English pāl ‘stake pole’ + flēot ‘stream estuary inlet’. 2: from a double diminutive of the Middle English personal name Paw + -el- + -ot.
Pok : 1: Cambodian: written ប៉ុក of Chinese origin but unexplained etymology (possibly corresponding to one of the surnames below).2: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 薄 see Bo 2.3: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 卜 see Bu 2.4: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 朴 see Piao.5: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 傅 see Fu 1.6: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 濮 see Pu 3.7: Hungarian (Pók): from a pet form of the personal name Pál Hungarian equivalent of Paul. It may also be a nickname from pók ‘spider’.8: Slovenian and Croatian: nickname from pok ‘he-goat’ a dialect word of German origin (see Bock).
Posa : 1: Italian: nickname from posa ‘attitude air’ also ‘repose stillness’.2: Italian: from the feminine form of the personal name Poso a variant of Boso.3: Spanish: probably a variant of Poza a topographic name for someone who lived by a well or pit poza (from Latin putea from puteus ‘well pit’).4: Catalan: probably from a variant of old Catalan possa ‘well pit’ (from Latin putea; see 3 above) found in some placenames.5: Hungarian (Pósa): from a pet form of the personal name Pál Hungarian form of Paul.
Powling : 1: perhaps from an unrecorded Middle English *polling a derivative of Middle English polle ‘head hair of the head’ or pollen ‘to cut (hair) shave (someone's head)’ + the noun-forming suffix -ing. It may have been given to someone with a distinctive head of hair or who had a shaven head. Compare Topping. 2: from Poling (Sussex) which is recorded as Paling(e) and Palyng from the 12th to 16th centuries Palinges in 1199 and Polynge in 1305. The place-name derives from Old English pāl ‘stake pole’ (or from a nickname derived from pāl) + the group-name suffix -ingas. This surname may have been confused with Pullen in (3); compare Baltazer Pullen 1639 Elizabeth Polling 1747 in IGI (Petworth Sussex). See also Poland. 3: variant of Pullan and Pullen; compare Ann Polling 1736 Richard Pullan 1789 in IGI (Bury Lancs).
Timm : 1: English (Yorkshire and Lincolnshire): from the Middle English pal name Timme which also gave rise to Timson. It may be a survival of an unrecorded Old English personal name Tima of uncertain origin. See also Timms.2: North German and Dutch: from a short form of the personal name Dietmar (see Dittmar).3: Chinese: possibly from Cantonese form of the Chinese name 添 (meaning ‘add’) a monosyllabic personal name or part of a disyllabic personal name of some early Chinese immigrants in the US.
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Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
FANBI : The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain, ©2021, University of the West of England
FANBI : The Oxford Dictionary if Family Names in Britain and Ireland, ©2016, University of the West of England
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