Sinderson

This uncommon name, found almost exclusively in Lincolnshire, is a rare variant form of the more familiar surname Sa(u)nderson, which is one of the patronymic forms of the surname developed from the early medieval given name "Sander". The given name is recorded in Oxfordshire circa 1248 as Sandre, and as "Sander" in the Shropshire Hundred Rolls of 1255, and is a short, aphetic form of Alexander, a popular personal name throughout Europe during the Middle Ages, mainly due to the fame of Alexander the Great (356 - 323 B.C.), and the "Romances" relating to his exploits, both actual and mythical. The name derives ultimately from the Greek "Alexandros", "Defender of men", from "alexein", to defend, and "andros, aner", man. The patronymic form of the surname from Sander is first recorded in 1349, when Adam Saunderson is listed in the London Calendar of Plea and Memoranda Rolls. In Lincolnshire, the development of the variant form of Sinderson has included the following examples from Lincolnshire Church Registers: the marriage of Thomas Sindersone and Ursele Wattum at Killingholme, on April 30th 1597, and the christening of Isabell, daughter of Richard Sinderson, on November 20th 1647, at Barton upon Humber. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Sindersonne, which was dated March 10th 1594, witness to the christening of his son, William, at Killingholme, Lincolnshire, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, 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.