This interesting name is a palatal form of canning - a name with two possible origins, the first, and most likely, being locational from Cannings in Wiltshire. Recorded as Cainingham in the Domesday Book of 1086 and as Caninges in the 1091 Pipe Rolls of that county, the name derives from the Olde English pre 7th Century 'caningas' meaning 'people of Cana', a byname of uncertain origin. On October 8th 1621 Ursula Canings and Robert Hatcher were married in Bramshaw, Wiltshire. A second district possibility is that Channing or cannon are anglicized forms of the Gaelic Irish name O Cainin or Canain translating as 'descendants of Wolf - cub', a byname from 'cann', a wolf - cub. The name C(h)anning is quite numerous in Ireland, especially in West Ulster and North Connacht. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of James Channing, son of John Channing, which was dated July 30th 1615, christened in St. Giles, Cripplegate, London, during the reign of King James I of England and VI of Scotland, 1603 - 1625. 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.