c. 1300 (late 12c. as a surname), polle, "hair of the head; piece of fur from the head of an animal," also (early 14c.) "head of a person or animal," from or related to Middle Low German or Middle Dutch pol "head, top." The sense was extended by mid-14c. to "person, individual" (by polls "one by one," of sheep, etc., is recorded from mid-14c.)

Meaning "collection or counting of votes" is recorded by 1620s, from the notion of "counting heads;" the sense of "the voting at an election" is by 1832. The meaning "survey of public opinion" is recorded by 1902. A poll tax, literally "head tax," is from 1690s. Literal use in English tends toward the part of the head where the hair grows.

1620s, "to take the votes of," from poll (n.) in the extended sense of "individual, person," on the notion of "enumerate one by one." Sense of "receive (a certain number of votes) at the polls" is by 1846. Related: Polled; polling. Polling place is attested by 1832.

"to cut, trim, remove the top of," early 14c., pollen, "to cut short the hair" (of an animal or person), from poll (n.). Of trees or plants from mid-15c. (implied in polled), Related: Polling. A deed poll "deed executed by one party only," is from the earlier verbal meaning "cut the hair of," because the deed was cut straight rather than indented (compare indenture (n.)). 

fem. proper name, short for Polly. Noted from 1620s as a parrot's name.

"one who conducts a public opinion poll," 1939, from poll (n.) + -ster.

mid-15c., from tadde "toad" (see toad) + pol "head" (see poll (n.)). Also pol-head (mid 13c.).

"tadpole," mid-15c., polwygle, probably from pol "head" (see poll (n.)) + wiglen "to wiggle" (see wiggle (v.)). Modern spelling is 1830s, replacing earlier polwigge.

1540s, "de-horned animal," from poll (v.2) + -ard. In reference to trees cut back nearly to the trunk, from 1610s. Such trees form a dense head of spreading branches, which can be cut for basket-making, etc.

kind of long-handled axe used as a weapon or by butchers, mid-14c., pollax, pol-axe, from pol "head" (see poll (n.)) + ax (n.). From notion of beheading or skull-splitting, or perhaps from the shape of the ax. Spelling altered 17c. by confusion with pole (n.1)).

also dotipoll, c. 1400, dotypolle, dodipoll, "stupid person," now obsolete in whatever spelling. The second element is poll (n.) in the original sense of "head." The first element is probably from Middle English dote (n.) "fool, simpleton, senile old man" (mid-12c.), from dote (v.). But it is sometimes said to be from Middle English dodden "to shear, shave."