This name is of French locational origin from any of the various places so called from the Olde French 'cler' or 'clair' meaning 'bright' or 'clear', plus 'mont', a hill i.e., a prominent hill standing out from a plain. The name under the variant spellings Clarmont, Clairmont and Claremont appears in London Church Registers from the beginning of the 18th Century, (see below), indicating that it was introduced by French Huguenot refugees who fled their own country to avoid religious persecutions. On March 5th 1736 Susanne Clarmont was christened in St. Martin Orgars French Huguenot church, and on October 23rd 1748 Zacharie Clairmont was christened in La Patente French Huguenot, Spitalfields. Leopold Claremont was christened in St. Giles Church Camberwell, London, on October 25th 1843. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Noell Clarmont married John Sale, which was dated 3rd August 1701 in All Hallows, London Wall, during the reign of King William III, William of Orange and 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.