This interesting surname, of French origins, is an example of that sizeable group of early European surnames that were gradually created from the habitual use of nicknames. These were given in the first instance with reference to a person's occupation, physical or mental attributes or resemblance to animals or birds. The derivation, in this case, is from "boule", meaning a ball, but originally the meaning was a "round person", or one who walked with a bouncy stride. The name is also found in the spellings Ribou, Reboulet (little Reboul) and Reboulin (the kin of Reboul). The earliest Coat of Arms is from the Languedoc region, and depicts three gold tortoises on a blue field, granted to "Reboul de la Marmouliere's". The name recording examples include Dominique Reboul, daughter of Thomas and Susanne (nee Tournayre), christened at St. Laurent-Les-Bains, Ardeche, on December 2nd 1694. The name in England has strong Huguenot associations, an example being Jaques Reboul, christened at the French Church, Glasshouse Street, London, on April 7th 1729. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Anthoine Reboul, which was dated October 17th 1610, a witness at Hippolyte-du-Fort, Gard, France, during the reign of King Louis X111 of France, 1610 - 1643. 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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