Pogue
A surname most likely linked to Scottish/Irish forms of Pollock or Poag, though its exact route is not fully certain.
The #4,734 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 41,205 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Pogue appears in older records alongside forms such as Poag and Pollock, which suggests it may be a reduced or altered spelling of a similar Scottish or Ulster name rather than a wholly separate creation. In older surname collections, it is often treated as a variant family form rather than a securely independent etymology. The ultimate root is therefore uncertain, but it is commonly associated with northern British and Irish naming traditions.
History
The name is recorded in 19th- and early-20th-century surname lists, including examples from Scotland and the United States, showing that it was already established in Anglophone usage by that period. In America, Pogue became especially visible in records of migration and settlement, though the historical sources do not give a single agreed explanation for its origin. Its spelling has remained fairly stable, even while scholars have connected it to neighboring forms like Poag, Pollock, and related variants.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In old surname indexes, Pogue is sometimes filed near Poag and Pollock, which is a clue that earlier writers saw them as part of the same broader name cluster.
From the historical record
“Pollock. Poag. 9,411. [Pogue]. 10,175, Poke. ' 234, 482. Polk. 254. Pollick.”
— Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland