Like the other similar sounding surnames i.e. Victor, Victore and Victorious, all of whom are quite rare, 'Victory', derives from the Latin 'Victor' meaning 'the Conqueror', though the early medieval Italian 'Vittori or Vittore'. The original popularity of the name derives from a 5th Century St. Victor, Bishop of Cologne, and it is probable that the early name holders in Britain were of Huguenot emigre status. The name recordings include James Victory, a witness at St. Mary Whitechapel on August 7th 1745 (The year of Bonnie Prince Charlie's Invasion), and Mary Victory who married Thomas Crowther at St. Mary-le-Bone on September 28th, 1778. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Victory, which was dated 1699, christened at Putney Church on December 9th 1699. during the reign of King William III of Orange of England, 1689 - 1702. 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.