This long-established surname is of early medieval German origin, and is either an occupational name for a maker or repairer of shoes, or residential for a person who lived at a house with the sign of a shoe, which may but not necessarily, indicate a shoe maker. In all cases the derivation is from the pre 7th century Old High German word "scuoh". The many and varied forms of the name include Schuh, Schuch, Schuck, Schug, and the occupational Schuchster, Schucter, Schaumann, Schaumaker, Schomaker, Shuchmacher and others. Job-descriptive surnames originally denoted the actual occupation of the namebearer, and later became hereditary when a son followed his father, into the same line of business. Early examples of the surname recordings taken from surviving German registers and charters include include Heinrich Schuch, a burger of Eblingen in the year 1388, and Christian Schuchster of Robhaupten, in 1398. A coat of arms recorded in Rietstap's "Armorial General", has the blazon of 'per bend, gold and blue, overall a lion rampant'. 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.