This uncommon name, found almost exclusively in Yorkshire, is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is derived from the Middle English verb "rend(en)", to divide, split, a development of the Olde English pre 7th Century "rendan", with the addition of the agent suffix "-er", indicating "one who does or works with". The surname from this source is occupational, used to describe a woodcutter, one who split wood, or a butcher, one who cut up meat. Job-descriptive surnames originally referred to the actual occupation of the namebearer, and later became hereditary. The Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire of 1379 contain the following variant forms of the surname: Willelmus Rendrour, and Matilda Rendurer. Examples from Church Registers of Ripon, Yorkshire, include: the christening of Christopher, son of William Rendir, on January 31st 1582, and the marriage of William Render and Alice Allanson, on June 26th 1589. In London, the christening of Susana, daughter of Robert and Susana Render, was recorded on September 26th 1628, at St. Nicholas Acons. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Johannes Rendour, which was dated 1379, in the "Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire", during the reign of King Richard 11, known as "Richard of Bordeaux", 1377 - 1399. 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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