Poe Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Poe last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Poe last name
Meaning of the Poe last name: peacock. Poe is an English surname, a nickname from Old Norse pá, "peacock", for a proud or showy man. The last name is found in England and Ireland and spread early to Virginia and the Carolinas. Curiously, the writer Edgar Allan Poe, born in Boston in 1809, made this short name famous around the world.
Arms associated with the Poe name
Coats of arms associated with the Poe last name belong to the English heraldic tradition, each with its own blazon.
Get your full Poe family history
This is only a glimpse of the Poe story. The full Poe history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Poe coat of arms. Get the full Poe report.
Poe name FAQ
What does the Poe name mean?
Peacock. Common variants include Pow, Poe.
Where does the Poe surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Poe coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Poe coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).