Batty

This unusual name is a diminutive form of the English and Scottish medieval personal name 'Bat(t)e', itself a shortened, diminutive form of 'Bartholomew', a very popular name in the Middle Ages. 'Bartholomew' derives from the Aramaic 'bar - Talmay', 'son of Talmay', meaning 'having many furrows' and thus, 'rich in land'. Its popularity was partly due to the fame of St. Bartholomew, patron saint of tanners, vintners and butlers. Variations of the name in the modern idiom are 'Battye', 'Batey', 'Baitey', 'Batie', 'Beatty', 'Battye'. One 'Ales Battye', daughter of Thomas 'Batty', was christened on the 1st of November 1643 at Cockerham in Lancashire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Baty (witness), which was dated 1277, in the Assize Rolls of Somerset, 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.