Nother

This unusual surname of Anglo-Saxon origin with variant spellings Noder, Nodder, is a nickname from the Olde English pre 7th Century "naedre" meaning "adder". The nickname may have been given originally to someone thought to have a particularly sharp tongue or biting wit. Nother is an example of that sizeable group of early European surnames that were gradually created from the habitual use of nicknames. The nicknames were given in the first instance with reference to a variety of characteristics, such as physical attributes of peculiarities, mental and moral characteristics, supposed resemblance to an animal's or bird's appearance or disposition, habits of dress, and occupation. Nother, a Yorkshire surname, is due to the regional dialectal interchange of d and th. The surname dates back to the early 13th Century (see below). Further recordings include Thomas Nother (1601), who appears in the Register of the Freemen of the city of York, and Samuel, son of Elizabeth Nother who was christened on December 20th 1782 at St. Sepulchre, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Nadder, which was dated 1219, in the "Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire", during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. 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.