The famous surname Portam is generally considered to be an import from the Huguenots in the 17th century to Britain. While many refugees of this name from France were welcomed between 1700 and 1760, fleeing persecution by Protestants, it is now believed that the origins of the name in England go back much further. It has a long and honorable history both in France and later abroad.
The very first bearer of the name (as shown below) was a member of a select group of French knights sent by the King of France and commanded by Bertrand du Guesclin to Spain to avenge the death of Blanche of Bourbon, his sister-in-law, Queen of Castile. It seems she was poisoned by her husband in the venerable tradition of chivalry, who rejoiced in the name "Peter - the Cruel". De Portal distinguished himself on the expedition, with his achievements celebrated in a poem that is still preserved today. The name is locational, describing someone who guarded the gate of a fortress or city or lived in such a place.
The surname seems to have undergone dialectal changes in England, recorded as "Portam" in Lincoln in 1275 and as Pordal(l) in London in 1608, when Thon Pordall was baptized on February 5th of that year at St. Stephen's Church, Coleman Street. Later records include Anthony Portal, baptized in Christ Church, Southwark, on June 30, 1697, and Louis Portail, son of Louis and Hester Portail, baptized in the French Huguenot Church, Threadneedle Street, London, on April 22, 1716.
The coat of arms features a black field charged with a wild golden lion, while in a blue chief are six golden spur-rowels. The first recorded spelling of the family name is that of Raymond de Portal, dated 1366, a knight of Toulouse in France during the reign of King Charles V of France from 1364 to 1386. Surnames became necessary as governments introduced personal taxation, known in England as the Poll Tax.
Over the centuries, surnames have continued to "evolve" in all countries, often leading to remarkable variations from the original spelling.
- Last Name: Portal. Surnamedb. http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Portal. Accessed 25 October 2021.
- Reaney, P. H., and Wilson, R. M. A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.
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Meaning of Portam
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