Recorded as Tame, Tames, Thaim, Thame, Thames and possibly others this is an English surname. It can be habitational either from the parish of Thame in Oxfordshire, recorded as "Tame" both in the Saxon Chronicle, dated 971 a.d., and in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, or possibly from the River Thames or mpre likely the River Tame in Oxfordshire. This was recorded as "Tame strem" in the chartulary of the monastery of St. Frideswide, Oxfordshire, and dated 1004. Whether relating to the Thames or the Tame the meaning is the same of "dark (river)", from an the Ancient British word word "tam", or even the Sanskrit "tamas", meaning darkness. Habitational surnames were among the earliest created, since both natural features in the landscape, and specific village names, provided obvious and convenient means of identification in the small communities of the Middle Ages. Early examples include John de Tame and Robert de Tame recorded respectively in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire in 1273. There are also rivers called Tame in the northern English counties of Yorkshire and Staffordshire, but early surname recordings from these counties are lacking. A second possible origin os the Olde English pre 7th century word "tam"), meaning tame or domesticated, and given as a nickname to a quiet and gentle person, perhaps the complete reverse! Edward Tame was recorded in the Close Rolls of London, dated 1536, whilst Isaac Thames, the son of Richard Thames was christened at Stanwell Independant church, city of London, on March 3rd 1839. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Claricia de Tame, which was dated 1273, in the "Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. 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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