Emmins

This most interesting surname is a dialectal variant of the English surname "Hemming" found chiefly in the West Midlands of England. It derives from the Olde Norse personal name "Hemmingr" which contains the elements "heim", home. Thus "Emmines" is a shortened form of "Hemming", with the initial "h" being dropped and the final "-g" becoming "e", due to regional differences in pronunciation. The "-s" ending indicates a patronymic i.e., "son of". The personal name, from which the surname derives appears as "Hemmingus" in the "Inquisition Comitatus Cantabrigienisis", (1066) while one William Hemming was recorded in 1221 in the Assize Court Rolls of Worcestershire. The London Church Registers mention the following early recordings: Agneta Hemyng was christened on July 25th 1563, at St. Andrew, Enfield; while Guilielm Emyn married Anne Robson on January 26th 1597; and Edward Emmines, son of Edward and Ann Emmines was christened at St. Sepulchre's on February 10th 1705. On July 9th 1743, Hannah, the daughter of William Emmins was christened at St. Martins Church, Birmingham, Warwickshire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Walter Hemming, which was dated 1170, in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset, during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. 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.