Mimmack

This rare and unusual surname is believed to be of French origin and may well have huguenot associations as it does not appear to be recorded in England before the first quarter of the 18th Century. It would seem to be a metonymic or nickname for a comedy actor, one who "made comical expressions", the name deriving from "Mimique". As such the original name holder(s), was probably as actor with the travelling theatres of the medieval period. Similar but more common examples of this type of name, are Bishop King and Pope, all originally "players" in Pageants. The name recordings include William Mimmack, a witness at St. Andrews Church, Holborn on November 20th 1828, when he attended the christening of his daughter Eliza. Further children were christened at the same church on March 26th 1830, (William) and June 21st 1830, (George Thomas). The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Anthony Miymac, which was dated June 7th 1735, married Ann Rouby at the church of St. Benets, London, during the reign of King George 11, "The Last Soldier Monarch", 1727 - 1760. 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.