Although it may not appear so, this interesting name derives from that of an early saint, one Quirnius, circa 360 A.D. The surname origin is German, although the original namebearer was Roman, and over the Centuries it has developed a fairly wide range of spellings. Dialectal influences created the change from Quirnius to Krien, and this then sub-divided at various stages after the medieval period into such forms as Krink, Krienke and Kringe. German Registers tend to be erratic as a result of War. In this case however, the examples are clear and show the surname development since the early 17th Century (see below). The recordings include: Anna Krines, who was christened at Braunsrath, Rheinland, on November 10th 1712, and Carl Martin Krinke, who was christened in 1824, at Schrotzken, West Preussen. On March 6th 1832, Johannes Nicolaus Krinks married Martha Dhein at Beltheim Catholic Church, Rheinland; this region being the original epicentre of the name. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Agnes Krings, which was dated May 19th 1638, christened at Braunsrath, Province of Rhienland, Germany, during the reign of Ferdinand 11, Holy Roman (German) Emperor, 1619 - 1637. 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.