Ware

This is an ancient English name of two possible origins. The first is old English pre 7th Century and a developed form of "Waer", a nickname for a wary or prudent person as in the recording Peter le Ware of Gloucester in the Church Rolls of 1218, however, this is a rare origin. More likely is residence or employment at a Dam or Weir, particulary those which were associated with early fish farms, or where "flash locks" were in use to enable trading boats to pass up or down. The town of Ware in Hertfordshire was originally the site of such a dam, and is the locational origin of many nameholders. This is certainly the case with Aschi Wara, recorded in the 1086 Register and Pipe Rolls for Hertfordshire. Other recordings include John de Ware of Bedford in 1276, whilst William de la Ware of Surrey in 1194 was probably job descriptive. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Anshil de Waras, which was dated 1066, The Domesday Register for hertfordshire, during the reign of King William 1, "The Conqueror", 1066 - 1087. 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.