This is a habitational name of old English and Anglo-Saxon pre 7th Century origins. It derives from "ea" meaning water and "lande" (land) and refers to one who lived by the water meadows or possibly on an island. The description is also to be found in the Yorkshire town name of Elland, which is a possible source of the modern name spellings. The surname in its original form dates back to the 13th Century as shown, the developed forms and examples of "link" spellings being Thomas de Elande of Surrey circa 1377, whilst Emma Erlonde is recorded at St. Martin-in-the-Field, Westminster on August 22nd 1570. On September 13th 1662, Elizabeth Erland is recorded at Clerkenwell, whilst on March 13th 1683, Elizabeth Earland married Thomas Coaper at St. Mary's church, Putney. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Sir Hugh Elande, which was dated circa 1310, recorded on the Parliamentary Rolls, during the reign of King Edward 11, known as "Edward of Caernafon", 1307 - 1327. 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.