Band

This unusual name is German in origin, and is a metonymic occupational surname for someone who made the hoops, usually of wood, with which wooden barrels were fastened together. The derivation of the name is from the German word 'Band' meaning 'hoop, band', in Medieval German 'bant', Olde German 'band', derived from the verb 'bindan', to bind. A similar modern German and English surname comes from the same source, 'binder', meaning a cooper or barrel maker. The name 'Band' is first recorded in England during the 16th Century, probably introduced by skilled Flemish and German emigrant workers. One Missereth Band was married to Elizabeth Jacksonne at St. Giles's London on the 12th April 1607. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Katheren Bande, christened, which was dated 8th May 1563, 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.