Remer

This most interesting surname is of Old German origin, and derives from two possible sources. Firstly, the surname may have come from a Germanic personal name composed of the Germanic elements "ragin", counsel and "meri, mari", fame, which is chiefly found in Lower Germany. Alternatively, in some cases, the surname may have originated from "Renner", an agent derivative, from the Middle High German "rennen", to run, which was an occupational name for a messenger, normally a mounted and armed military servant. The surname itself was first recorded in England in the mid 16th Century (see below). Recordings of the name in Germany include the following: Peter Remer married Margarethe Harttman, on August 3rd 1573 at Mittelfranken, Neroldsberg, Bayern; Johann Remer married Margarethe Schlauch on November 7th 1585 at Schwarzwaldkreis, Tubingen, Wuertt, and Barbara Remmer married Lorentz Stahl on November 9th 1591 at Neckarkreis, Obereisesheim, Wuertt. A Coat of Arms was granted to a Remmer family in Brunswick, Germany and depicts a rampant unicorn on a blue shield. The unicorn is associated with a haughty spirit that made it willing to die rather than be subjugated. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Danyell Remer, which was dated February 9th 1562, christened at St. Giles, Cripplegate, London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. 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.