Can anybody decipher this name for me please??

[longshanks]

Pollock is a fairly widespread name in the Glasgow area, but mainly associated with the south side parishes such as Mearns, Eaglesham, Neilston where, besides a landed family of that name (Pollock of Over Pollock near Newton Mearns), there were a number of farmers, and still are in the area. The spelling varies including Pollok, but the one you need to watch for is Pook.  Some of them were sensitive about the full name in the 19th century, though why Pook was thought any better is enigmatic. Also Thomas was a frequent Pollock first name, eg the poet Thomas Pollock. The advantage perhaps is that it is an extensively researched name up to the 19th century.

[millerina]

Longshanks,

Thank you for your info, especially the about the surname "Pook", I had no idea that that was a derivative of Pollock! I will go back to the scotlandspeople website and see if my missing ancestors are listed under "Pook". I also didn't know that Thomas was a frequent Pollock name, it could be likely then that he inherited the name from another member of his family, so maybe that opens up another way of trying to find him.

Many thanks again for the information,
milleina 

[gretchen]

The Pollok's from Scotland to Ireland then to the U.S. changes to Polk. Sometimes it is found also Polke at points in the U.S. .