Thurman

There are two possible sources of this interesting name with both the first elements deriving from the Divine name "Thorr", the name of the God of thunder in Scandinavian mythology. The second element may either derive from the Old Norse "Thormund", meaning Thors protection, or "Thormoth", Thor's wrath. The following examples illustrate the name development for both these origins. Thurmod, (1221, Suffolk), Walter Thurmond (1279 the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire), in the modern idiom, the variants are, Thurmand and Thorman. Amongst the sample recordings in London are the christenings of Katherin Thurman on October 13th 1594 at St. Andrews-by-the-Wardrobe, Elizabeth Thurman in October 1609, at St. Margaret's, Westminster, and Edward Thurman on May 10th 1621 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Adam Thuremund, which was dated 1248, Assize Rolls, Hampshire, during the reign of King Henry 111, "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.