Poil
History
The name of the locality was first recorded as Picti in the 10th century, then Poiz in 1281, Poys in the 14th century, Poy in 1414, and finally Poil in 1592. This development reflects a regular change from the root Picti- to Poi(z)-, similar to other Celtic place names. The root "Pict-" probably relates to the Picts, a people from Scotland, possibly in theme with foreign Roman legions stationed there (compare e.g. Mortagne and Sermaise, from Mauretania and Sarmatia respectively). The final "-l" was added later, influenced by the common noun "poil", a homophone (common in French) with Pois.
Geography
The commune is part of the parc naturel régional du Morvan. The river Alène has its source in the south-western part of the commune.
Demographics
On 1 January 2019, the estimated population was 147.
See also
References
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- ^ "Populations de référence 2022" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 19 December 2024.
- ^ INSEE commune file