Emma

This interesting surname is Anglo-French with more than a dash of 5th century German. It was introduced into England by the Normans after the famous Conquest of 1066. It means 'entire' from the word 'ermin'. Emma, daughter of the king of France married King Aethelrede of England, known to history as 'The Unready' in the year 1002, and later in 1017 after his death, she married his successor the famous Viking King Canute. It was this Queen Emma who gave the initial popularity to the personal name, which it has never lost. The modern surname can be found in many forms and these include Eme, Emm, Emma and diminutives Emmett, Emmott, Emmitt, Emmatt, Hemmett, Ambling, Emeline, Emblin, and even Emblem. Amongst the many recordings in the surviving registers of the city of London are the christenings of Ann Emblin, on June 23rd 1717 at St. Mary's Whitechapel, Stepney, Henrietta Emma at St Ann's Soho, Westminster, on December 19th 1767, and Richard Emblem, christened on June 14th 1774 at St. Clement Danes, Westminster. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Emelin, which was dated 1208, in the "Charter Rolls of Suffolk", during the reign of King John, known as "Lackland", 1199 - 1216. 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.