This name is first recorded in the 17th Century but certainly its origins are much earlier. It was apparently a Gaelic - Norse pre 10th Century personal name, which derived from the elements 'conn' meaning 'the fair one' and 'valde' translating as 'Rule'. However what is confusing is that the name is not recorded in Ireland, and it is possible that the name is in fact an 'import' from the continent as a George Adolf Kunold is recorded in London, but not until 1862. Other recordings include Robert Gonneld who married Margaret Osborne on January 21st 1640, at St. Martins in the Field, Westminster and John Connald who married Elizabeth Ann Marshall on 21st February 1798, by coincidence again at the same church. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Connold, which was dated 1625, witness at St. Martins in the Field, Westminster on May 18th, during the reign of King Charles I, 'The Matyr', 1625 - 1649. 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.