This interesting surname of English origin is a locational name from Lamberton in Devon, deriving from the Old English pre 7th Century "lamb - burna" meaning "a stream where lambs are washed" plus "tun" "enclosure" or "settlement", hence "a tun by a stream where lambs are washed". The placename is recorded as Lambretone in the Domesday Book 1086. It may also be from the barony of Lambreton in Berwickshire. The surname dates back to the early 12th Century, (see below). Further recordings include one John de Lamberton (1206), "The Pipe Rolls of Devon. Variations in the idiom of the spelling include Lamerton, Lambarton, etc.. Christover, son of Rychard lamberton, was christened on March 11th 1580, and his daughter Marye, was christened on April 22nd 1582, both at Allhallows, Honey Lane, London. Thomas, son of Thomas Lamberton, was christened at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, in January 1612. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William de Lamberton, which was dated circa 1136, witnessed a charter to the church of Dunfermline by King David 1, during the reign of King David 1 of Scotland, 1124 - 1153. 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.