This interesting surname of English origin with variant spellings Pussol, Pucill, Postill, Pustill, Pusill, etc., is a nickname perhaps for someone who had played the part of one of the twelve apostles in a play or pageant, or for a particularly zealous Christian, deriving from the Old English pre 7th Century "apostol", Greek "apostolos" meaning "messenger or delegate". It may also have derived from the Old English personal name Possel The surname dates back to the late 12th Century, (see below). further recordings include one Richard Postel (1202) "The Assize Court Rolls of Lincolnshire", William la Postle (1300) "The London Court Rolls", and John le Pusel (1332) "The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex". Church recordings include Francis, son of Francis and Catherine Pussol who was christened on September 5th 1687, at St. Martin in the Fields, Westminster, and George, son of Nathaniel and Ann Pucill, was christened on September 15th 1851, at St. Matthew's, Bethal Green, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Postel, which was dated 1170, The Pipe Rolls of Northumberland, during the reign of King Henry 11, "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. 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.