Jeremiah

This interesting surname derives from the male given name Jeremiah, itself from the Hebrew "Yirmeyahu" which translates as "may God exalt him". The name enjoyed a considerable popularity among Christians as having being borne by the biblical prophet Jeremiah, noted for his lamentations over the faithlessness of Israel. The popular baptismal spelling as 'Jeremias' was recorded in England as early as the 12th century, Iheremias de Tornhill, being noted in the 1189 Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in the reign of Richard the Lionheart. However the name was also well recorded in Germany from much the same period, and in the same spellings, and it is possible that some United Kingdom surname holders, derive from this origin. Amongst the early recordings is that of Thomas Jeremye, in the London Calendar of Patent Rolls (1275), whilst Johanna Jheremie is found in Suffolk in 1346. Recordings of the surname from Church Registers include Hugo Jeremiah who was christened on February 8th 1595 at Conway Church, Caernarvon, Wales; whilst on November 6th 1692, Seth Jeremies, in the rare baptismal spelling, but as a surname, married Mary Pickett, at St. Mary Woolchurch, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Johannes Jheremie, which was dated 1193, in the "Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire", during the reign of King Richard 1st, known as "Richard the Lionheart", 1189 - 1199. 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.