Blanpein

This unusual and interesting metonymic occupational name is an anglicization of the French "Blancpain", a nickname for a baker from the Olde French "blanc pain" meaning literally white bread. It is intriguing to see the dialectual variants of this name e.g. Blamphin, Blanpein, Plampeyn. An early recording of the name found in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk is of one Robert Plampin. In Surrey the name is very rare with no early recordings, however, one Sarah Gertrude Plampin, an infant, was christened at St. Mary's, Guildford. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Henry Blancpain, which was dated 1191, in the "Pipe Rolls Northumberland", during the reign of King Richard 1, known as "The Lionheart", 1189 - 1199. 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.