This most interesting name is one of the variants of "Faulkes", which is of Norman-French origin, from the Norman given name "Fau(l)ques", which was originally a Germanic byname meaning Falcon. The personal name is best known from the famous (or infamous) Falkes de Breaute whose name occurs as "Falco" in the Feet of Fees of 1219 and "Falkesius" in the Curia Rolls (1219). Variant spellings of the surname include Fawke, Fawcus, Falck, Falk, Falkus, Fake and Faulkes. The surname itself first appears in records in the late 12th Century (see below). The Assize Court Rolls of Worcestershire record a William Falc in 1221, while one William Faukus was recorded in Huntingdonshire in 1251, in the "Cartularium monasterii de Rameseia". John Falk was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. Mary, William, and Ann, children of John Faulkes, were christened at West Acklem, Yorkshire on November 11th, 1771, October 9th 1773 and September 2nd 1776, respectively. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas Falch, which was dated 1182, The Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire, during the reign of King Henry 11, "The Builder of Churches", 1154-1189. 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.