Polk is an American adaptation of the Pollok family name, the Polloks having been aligned with the Maxwells as early as the 13th Century.
The Polk name is familiar to Americans because James Knox Polk was 11th President of the United States. A Tennessean, Polk was the great-great-grandson of Robert Polk (or Pollok) who emigrated from Ayrshire to the American Colonies.
Paulk is a variation of Polk.
