Recorded in many spellings, this interesting and ancient name is regarded as European. Recorded in most Western countries, it is derives from the Hebrew male given name "Shelomo", a derivative of "shalom", meaning peace. Salomon was the popular medieval form used in the Vulgate, the 4th Century version of the Bible whilst Solomon is the form used in the Geneva Bible and the Authorized Version. The personal name was widespread among Christians in the Middle Ages having been introduced by returning Crusader knights of the 12th century. It was later used as a nickname for a particularly wise man or for an actor, one who played the part of King Solomon in a miracle play. The surname is recorded in many spellings including Sammon, Sammons, Salaman, Salomon, Salman, Salmond, and Sammonds. The very earliest known examples of the surname recording are in England and these include "Salomon of Yorkshire" in the famous Domesday Book of England, in the year 1086, whilst Robert Salemon was listed in the tax records known as the "Feet of Fines" of Lancashire in 1212. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.