This unusual and interesting name is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a seasonal surname originally given to someone born on a "holy day", a religious festival. The name derives from the Olde English pre 7th Century word "haligdaeg", composed of the elements "halig", holy, and "daeg", day. Other names conferred as seasonal surnames in a similar way were Christmas, and Pask or Pascall for those born at Easter. The Scottish form of the surname is Halliday or Haliday, and is first recorded there in 1303, when one Adam de Halide was a juror on an inquest at St. Andrews. The long-established Halliday family of Hoddom, Dumfriesshire gave their name to Halliday Hill in Dalton. Recordings from Scottish Church Registers include the marriage of James Halliday and Marion Henderson in Edinburgh, on October 1st 1607. A Coat of Arms granted to the family is a black shield, with three silver helmets, garnished gold, and a silver border engrailed, the Crest being a demi lion rampant, holding a blue anchor. The Motto, "Quarta saluti", translates as, "The fourth to heal". The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Suein Halidai, which was dated 1188, in the "Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire", during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. 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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