Polk Family History

Polk Surname Meaning

Scottish: shortened form of Pollock.

Sorbian (Półk and Pólk): probably from a short form of a personal name based on Old Slavic plъkъ ‘crowd army’ (see Polka).

East German (of Slavic origin): variant of Polke.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Pol, Volk, Polt, Polka, Poll, Polak, Palm, Polek, Olk, Sock

786,000 record(s) for Polk

129K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
25K	Military Records
4K	Immigration Records
82K	Census and Voter Lists
543K	Member Trees

Where is the Polk family from?

You can see how Polk families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Polk family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Polk families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 45 Polk families living in Tennessee. This was about 21% of all the recorded Polk's in USA. Tennessee had the highest population of Polk families in 1840.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Polk surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Polk ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Polk. 22% of Polk men worked as a Laborer and 13% of Polk women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Polk were Farm laborer and Teacher.

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

Laborer

22%

Farmer

19%

Salesman

5%

Farm laborer

4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

Maid

13%

Laundress

7%

Cook

7%

Teacher

6%

What Polk family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 82K census records available for the last name Polk. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Polk census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Passenger List

There are 4K immigration records available for the last name Polk. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

Military Records

There are 25K military records available for the last name Polk. For the veterans among your Polk ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

What is the average Polk lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Polk life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1951, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Polk in 1941 was 44, and 71 in 2004.

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Polk ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.