Romans

This is an English surname but one possibly of Norse-Viking or even Roman associations. Firstly it may derive from Rumun, said to be a Norse personal name found early on the East Coast of England in the 9th century. Secondly and more probably it could be locational from Rome, a village near Settle in North Yorkshire, or from the Roman Wall in Northumberland, or one of the other places with Rome in the name such as Romanby also in Yorkshire. It could also be a nickname for someone who had been to Rome in Italy possibly on pilgrimage, and lived to tell the tale! There are many modern spellings including Rome, Romain, Romaine, Roman, Romer, Ruman, Rumen, Rummin, Rumming and patronymics Romans, Rumens, Rummings and others. The surname is first recorded in the latter half of the 13th Century, (see below), and other early recordings include John Romanus of Lincoln in 1274, Thomas Romayn of Lonon in 1307, and Christiana le Romere of Suffolk in 1274. Isabel Rumen married John Hudson at St James Clerkenwell, city of London, in 1616, and John Rumming married Elizabeth Usburn, at Tonbridge, Kent, in 1687. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Rumin. This was dated 1273, in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire, during the reign of King Edward 1st known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.