This unusual and interesting name is of Italian-French origins. It derives from Citron or Citrini, and is job descriptive or locational for one who lived or worked at a lemon grove. It is also possible that originally the name was a nickname for a person with a 'sharp tongue', many continental names having similar backgrounds. The name is also found in the Dutch-Flemish 'citroen' whilst in England the recordings include the following examples of the name development - Moses Citron, a witness at St. Anne's Soho, on March 7th 1726. The name development from the Italian appears to be wholly Merseyside, John Francis Citrine, christened at St. Peter's, Liverpool on June 16th 1874 is the son of John Citrini, also christened at St. Peter's on April 7th 1850. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Henry Cyterne, which was dated July 9th 1599, a witness at St. Helen's Church, Bishopgate, London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, 'Good Queen Bess', 1558 - 1603. 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.

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