The name Jermy, appearing as Jeremiah in the authorised version of the Bible is a combination of "Jehovah and exalt" usually translated as "may Jehovah exalt me". One Jheremias de Thornhill is recorded in the "Pipe Rolls of York" 1189, the name appears as a surname a few years later (see below) and runs concurrently both as a christian name and surname to modern times. The traditional English form of this name is Jer(e)my. Ann Jermy daughter of William and Katherine Jermy was christened in London on May 1649. An interesting name bearer was Isaac Jermy (1789 - 1848), B. A. Christchurch, Oxford 1812 Barrister, Lincoln's Inn 1814. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Johannes Jheremie, which was dated 1193, in the "Pipe Rolls of York", during the reign of King Richard 1, known as "Richard the Lionheart" 1189 - 1199. 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.