This rare and interesting name is English but of Norman French origins. Introduced into England after the Conquest of 1066 it is a good example of that large group of early European names that were gradually created from the habitual use of a nickname. In this instance the name was given to a person thought to be particularly determined or self-assured, being derived from the Old French pre 8th century term "certeyn", meaning sure and determined, itself from the Latin "certanus". The development of the surname in the surviving registers of the city of London includes: Serten (1604); Sarten (1618); Sartaine (1619); Sarteyne (1628); and Sertayne (1642), and the modern surname can be found as Sartin, Sartain, Sarton, Sattin, Sertin and Sorton. Examples of recordings include William Sartin was christened in London in June 1636, and the marriage of Allin Sarton and Susanah Newton was recorded at St. Bartholomew the Less, also in London, on December 11th 1662. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Certayn. This was dated 1394, in the Calendar of the Letter Books of the City of London, during the reign of King Richard 11nd, known as "Richard of Bordeaux" 1377 - 1399. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as the 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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