This interesting surname is of French locational origin from a place in Seine-Inferieure, Normandy, called Rames. The surname arrived in England during the Norman Conquest of 1066, de Rames, de Ramis and de Raimis, all appear in the Domesday Book of Middlesex, Essex and Suffolk respectively. Hugo de Reymes is recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk (1273). In the modern idiom the surname has many variant spellings including Reames, Reame, Ryam, Rheam, Reams, Reims, Reeme, etc.. Early recordings of the surname from English church registers include; the marriage of John Reams to Jane Golding on July 25th 1591, at St. Michael, Bassishaw; on August 5th 1593, John Reame married Elizabeth Howse, at St. Olave, Hart Street, Edward, son of William Reeme, was christened on September 21st 1610, at St. Mary at Hill, London; on January 5th 1705, William, son of William and Hannah Ream, was christened at Whaplode, Lincoln; and the marriage of William Ream to Mary Cook took place on June 8th 1708, a Pinchbeck, Lincoln. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Roger de Rames, which was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book for Middlesex, during the reign of King William 1, known as "William the Conqueror", 1066 - 1087. 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.

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