This interesting surname of English origin is derived from the Middle English given name Ode, itself coming from the Old English, Old Norse Od(d)a, being a short form of names with the first element Old English "ord", Old Norse "odd", meaning "point of a weapon", or, from the Continental Germanic personal names Odo, Otto, from a short form of compound names with the first element "od" meaning "prosperity" or "riches". It can also be a topographical name for someone who lived near a mound or heap, deriving from the Middle English "atten oade" meaning "at the heap". The surname dates back to the 13th Century, (see below). The modern surname can be found in a variety of forms, ranging from Odd(e), Oddie, Oddey, Oddy and Hoddy or Hoddie to Oade(s) and Oat(e)s. One Symon Oade married Margaret Hunte at St. Dunstan, Stepney, on August 25th 1606, and Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Odd, was christened at St. Benet, Paul's Wharf, London on October 9th 1625. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Odd (witness), which was dated 1225, in the "Assize Rolls of Somerset", during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. 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.