This most interesting surname is of Old French origin, and has two possible interpretations. Firstly, it may derive from the Old French "mort", from the Latin "mortuus", meaning dead, which was used as a nickname by the Normans presumably referring to a person of deathly pallor or with an unnaturally still countenance. The French definite article "La" has become fused with "mort"; hence "Lamort". The name may however have derived from the Old French "mor(e)", a moor or negro, with the French definite article "La"; thus the name may have been a nickname for someone with a swarthy, dark complexion. Early examples of the surname in French Church Registers include the marriage of Jeanne Lamort and Nicolas Vaudrey, which took place on June 8th 1746 at Gondreville, Meurthe-et-Moselle; the christening of Jean Lamort, son of Francois and Anne Lamort, which occurred on March 31st 1769, in Vezelise, also in Meurthe-et-Mosele. The surname "Mort" is found in England, especially in the Lancashire region. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Antoine and Elizabeth Lamort, which was dated January 25th 1704, christening witnesses at Xirocourt, Meurthe-et-Moselle, in France, during the reign of King Louis X1V of France, 1643 - 1715. 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.