This interesting name is of Scottish origin and is an occupational name for a potter, specifically, one who made drinking and storage vessels, although during the Middle Ages the term covered workers in metal as well as earthenware and clay. The derivation is from the Middle English 'pot', the Latin 'pottus' and reinforced by the Old French 'pot', meaning a drink or draught. There is also a possibility that this name is an occupational name for a maker or seller of potage, a thick soup or stew, deriving from the Old French potagier. Amongst the sample recordings in Scotland is one George Pottie a gardener at Kirkcudbright in 1787, and the marriage between Isabella Pottie and Andrew Millar on May 15th 1853 at St. Nicholas's, Aberdeen. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Alexander Pottie, which was dated 1671, Aberdeen, during the reign of King William 111, 'William of Orange and England'. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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