This unusual surname was originally recorded only in Yorkshire. This is not surprising as it originates from a township called Haldenby, within the equally small parish of Adlingfleet, some seven miles from the river town of Goole. It is also not suprising to find that the origin is Danish-Viking, 'by' originally 'bi', meaning a settlement and Halden a dialectal form of 'Half Dane', a curiously popular baptismal name of the pre 10th century. This is particularly recorded in the surname form of 'Haldane', and was originally given to a child whose parents were a mix of Anglo-Saxon and Danish. Most 'locational' surnames, were given to a person who moved to another place, being a form of identity. In this case though 'the Haldenby's' were the original owners of the manor of Haldenby, and it would seem that modern day name holders are direct descendants from the original Robert de Haldenby as shown below. Early recordings include the following examples - Stephanus Haldenby, christened at Whitgift, near Goole, on December 7th 1569, and William Haldenby of Hessle, near Hull, christened on April 27th, 1777. The Coat of Arms granted to the Haldenby's of Haldenby, has a green field charged with a fesse between three covered cups, all gold, and a crest of a white swan with red beak and legs. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert de Haldenby, which was dated 1379, in the Poll Tax Rolls of the County of Yorkshire, during the reign of King Richard 11, known as 'Richard of Bordeaux', 1377 - 1399. 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.