This unusual name is of early medieval English and French origin, and comes from "Perrin", the Middle English and Old French diminutive form of the personal name "Peter". The derivation of "Peter" is from the Greek "Petros", from "petros", rock or stone, and it was extremely popular as a given name throughout Christian Europe during the Middle Ages. This popularity stems largely from St. Peter, regarded as the founding father of the Christian Church in view of Christ's pronuncement: "Thou art Peter and upon this rock, I will build my Church". In the modern idiom, the surname Perren can also be found as Perin, Perryn, Perring and Parren. The final "s" attached to the name indicates the patronymic, and is a reduced form of "son of". On November 13th 1566, Hughie Perrins and Hellen Hayes were married at St. Christopher Le Stocks, London, and on April 27th 1823, the christening of Henry Samuel, son of Joseph and Sarah Perrins, took place at the British Embassy Chapel, Paris, Seine, France. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Pirun, which was dated 1166, in the "Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire", during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. 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.