Haller

This interesting surname, of early medieval English or Anglo-Saxon origin, is an occupational name for a haulier, deriving from the Middle English (1200 - 1500) "halien" meaning "to haul" or "to transport", or from the Old French "haler", to pull. It can also be a topographical name for someone who lived in a nook or recess, deriving from the Olde English pre 7th Century "hale" meaning "nook", hollow" or "recess". Topographical surnames, were among the earliest created, since both natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognisable distinguishing names in the small communities of the Middle Ages. The surname dates back to the late 13th Century (see below), and further recordings include, John Haler (1373), who appeared in the Court Rolls of the Borough of Colchester. Variations in the idiom of the spelling include Hayller, Haller, and Hayler. Recordings from London Church Registers include; the christening of John, son of John Haller, at John Christ Church, Greyfriars, Newgate, on April 23rd 1564; the marriage of Julian Hayler and Richard Ley on September 16th 1583, at St. Mary at Hill; and the christening of John, son of Roger and Mary Haylor, at St. Margaret's, Westminster, on July 9th 1654. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William le Haliere, which was dated 1279, in the "Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. 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.