Rayman

This interesting surname has three distinct possible sources, the first and most likely being from an occupational name for the servant of the king, deriving from the Old French "rei", king, with the Middle English "man(n)", man, servant. Servants in royal households were held in high regard, and frequently those who held senior positions enjoyed certain privileges and the post would often become hereditary. Raiman may also derive from the Old French personal name Raimund or Raimond, itself coming from the Old German "Raginmund", a compound of the elements "ragin", counsel and "mund", protection. It appears in its Latinized form "Raimundus" in the Domesday Book of 1086 for Essex, having been introduced into England by the Normans after the Conquest of 1066. As an Anglo-Saxon surname Raiman is topographical in origin from residence on a piece of land surrounded by streams. The derivation is from the Olde English pre 7th Century phrase, "aet thaere ea", Middle English "at ther ee", "atte ree", hence the contracted form "ree, ray, rai", with the addition of man. Early examples of the surname include Robert Ryman (Sussex, 1327); Simon Reman (Essex, 1359) and John Rayman, Reyman (Essex, 1377). In the modern idiom the name is also spelt Rayman, Reaman, Reeman and Ryman. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ellsibethe Raiman, which was dated June 7th 1560, christened at St. Olave Old Jewry, London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1st, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. 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.