This interesting surname, with variant spellings Lambard, Lambart(h), Lambert, Lampart, Lamperd and Lammert, derives from the Old French and Old Germanic male given name Lambert or Lanbert, which is composed of the Germanic elements "land", land, plus "berht", bright or famous. The popularity of the name in the Middle Ages increased with the immigration of weavers from Flanders where St. Lambert, bishop of Maastricht, was greatly venerated. The cognate late Old English personal name "Landbeorht" is rare but was used after the Conquest and has contributed to the surname. One, Gozelinus fillius Lamberti was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 for Yorkshire. Early recordings of the surname include Peter Lamberd, (Norfolk, 1220); John Lambarde, "Wills Records of Rochester Consistory Court", dated 1544. On May 12th 1594, Avis Lampard and George Lane were married in Saint Mary Magdalene, Bermondsey, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Lambert, which was dated 1148, in the Pipe Rolls of Hampshire, during the reign of King Stephen, known as "Count of Blois", 1135 - 1154. 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.