Pittle, Pottell, Pottle, Peddel, Peedell, Piddle and Puddle are all variant derivatives of the Olde English personal name of the pre 7th Century, "Pott or Podd", plus the medieval diminutive "little" to imply "son of" or possibly "relative of Pott or Podd". Research suggests taht the original personal name was given either to somebody who lived at a place of "pits or hollows" or was a metonymic for a maker of Pots. Either way, the name is very old, the modern recordings include Katherine Peedl (1635), Margaret Pattle (1656), Mary Peddle (1607), William Peadle (1610), Suzanne Pedle (1712), Maria Pettill (1798), Mary Peddell (1715) and Lucy Pettle (1812). The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Potel, which was dated 1243, The Somerset County Pipe Rolls, during the reign of King Henry III, "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.