Recorded as Noen, Noon, Noone, this is an Anglo-Irish surname, but with separate and distinct origins. Firstly it can be medieval English, and a nickname for a bright and cheerful person. This is from the word "non", meaning noon, and hence the brightest time of day. The word is derived from the Latin "nona" originally denoting the ninth hour, which was about three o'clock in the afternoon. The change in meaning from mid-afternoon to mid-day probably occurred as a result of monastic meal times being brought forward. Secondly the surname could be Irish, and a developed form of the Gaelic surname O'Nuadhain. This was from the Gaelic prefix O', meaning grandson or male descendant of, and the personal name "Nuadha". The sept claim descent from Niall of Nine Hostages in the 4th century a.d., and it is said that they originate from County Sligo in the far west of the country. Certainly the earliest recordings are found in that region in the census of Ireland in 1659. Other early recordings include those of Andrew Noen, given as being a student at Oxford University in the yeat 1575, and the christening of John, the son of John and Martha Noon, on March 19th 1726, at St. Dunstan's in the East, Stepney. 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.