Victoria

Recorded as Victor, Victoria, Victore, Victorious, and Victory, all of whom are quite rare, this is arguably an Anglo-French surname but of Roman (Latin) origins. It derives from the Latin word 'victus' meaning 'Conqueror', through the later medieval Italian Vittori or Vittore. The original popularity of the name derives from a 5th century St. Victor, the bishop of Cologne in Germany, and it is probable that the early name holders in Britain were of Huguenot Protestant emigre status. Examples of early recordings taken from surviving church registers of the city of London include James Victory, a christening witness at the church of St. Mary Whitechapel, Stepney, on August 7th 1745, a year which coincidentally was famous for Bonnie Prince Charlie's attempted invasion, and Mary Victor who married Thomas Crowther at the internationally renowned church of St. Mary-le-Bone on September 28th, 1778. The first recorded spelling of the family name may be that of William Victory. This was dated 1699, when he was christened at Putney Church, Westminster, on December 9th of that year. This was during the reign of King William IIIrd of Orange and England, 1689 - 1702. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as the Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.