Etter

The register of the French Huguenot Church known as Le Temple, Soho, London, records that on July 2nd 1693, in the reign of William of Orange (1689 - 1702), Jean Jacques Ytier, the son of Jacques Ytier and the former Margueritte Suisse, was christened in the Church. This was not the first appearance of the name variously spelt as Itter, Eitor, Yter, Etter and even Heater, but it is a good example which proves the origin. At least fifty thousand Huguenot (Protestant) refugees poured into England and Ireland between 1580 and 1770, and their names were Anglicized into phonetic spellings. The name derives from the ancient Saxon "Id-hari" meaning "work army", a personal name of the pre 10th Century. Name recordings include Frances Iter, who was christened at St. May White Chapel on February 9th 1780, and Daniel Itter, who married Phobe Winsper at St. Giles' Church, Cripplegate, London, on January 10th 1802. The name is also recorded as Etter, at Long Crenden, Buckinghamshire, in 1724. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Katherin Etur, which was dated October 13th 1588, christened at the Church of St. Katherine by the Tower, 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.