This interesting surname is of early medieval Welsh origin, and derives from the ancient Welsh male given name "Ednyfed", borne by an early Welsh saint. One Ednyfed Fychan was a 13th Century lord in Gwynedd, and Ednuyed fil (son of) Anyan was recorded in 1283. Edeneuet ab (son of) Yerward appears in the same year, the latter form of the name showing the final "d" written as "t", a widespread practice in medieval scripts. The surname first appears on record in the mid 16th Century, and examples include: Douse ap Ednyvet (Shropshire, 1566), and Ieuan Edenevett (Shropshire, 1579). The forms Evennett, Evenitt, Evenet and Evenett are well recorded in English Church Registers from the late 16th Century, the initial "Ed" having changed dialectally to "Ev". On June 5th 1629, John, son of William and Anne Evenet, was christened at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, London, and on February 16th 1639, Katharine, daughter of William and Grace Evenett, was christened at St. Mary the Virgin, Dover, Kent. The marriage of Catherine Evennett to Jonathan Tyler took place at St. Martin in the Fields, Westminster, London, on February 26th 1827. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Joanne Evennett, which was dated June 4th 1596, marriage to George Ward, at St. Katherine by the Tower, London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "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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