Kasher

This very interesting surname has a long and complicated history. Originally it was recorded both in England and France as a pageant nickname, which derives from the Latin "Caesar" meaning "Emperor", and was given to one who played the part in the travelling plays. The origin of the name in England is further complicated by the arrival in the 17th Century of the Huguenot emigrants from France generally called Caisier, Cashoir or Kayser, often later 'Anglicised' to Cashier, Casher, Casheer, Kasher and Cayser. The name development includes Robert Casher, baptised at All Saints, Newcastle upon Tyne on August 22nd 1635, Antoinette Cashoir, christened at London, Spitalfields Huguenot Church on February 8th 1691, whilst on February 2nd 1867, John Kasher married Lucretia Wheeler at St. Martins-in-the-Field, Trafalgar Square. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Henry le Caisiere, which was dated 1172, in the "Pipe Rolls of County Warwick", during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Church Builder", 1154 - 1189. 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.