Moon

This intriguing surname has a number of possible origins. The first is English but ultimately French, being from the village of Moyon in the departement of La Manche, in Normandy. The first name holder was one William de Moion, a close follower of Duke William of Normandy, and one who after the famlous Conquest of 1066, was granted various estates in the county of Dorset. Other early examples of the surname from this source include: Reginald de Moyn of Somerset in 1239, and William de Mohun of Wiltshire, in 1272. The second possible source is as a nickname from the French words "moun" meaning a monk, and as such given to a lay person who followed a monkish way of life, or perhaps played the part of a monk in the famous travelling theatres of the Middle Ages. Early recordings include: Robert Mone of Yorkshire, in 1260; Thomas le Mun of Norfolk, in 1275, and Geoffrey le Moun of Bedfordshire, in 1279. Moon may also have originated as a Cornish nickname for a slender person, from the Cornish "mon", thin, as on October 22nd 1588, Jane Moon, was christened at Guethiock, Cornwall. Finally, Moon may be Irish and either of English origin or a form of the Old Gaelic O'Mochain, a personal byname from the word "moch", meaning early. This sept, also Anglicized as Mohan, belonged primarily to the provinces of Connacht and Ulster. On May 19th 1681, Samuel, the son of John Moon, was christened at St. Peter and St. Kevin, Dublin. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William de Mouin, which was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book for Derbyshire, during the reign of King William 1st of England, known as "The Conqueror", 1066 - 1087.