This interesting surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a locational name from Lartington in Yorkshire, which appears as "Lyrtingtun", circa 1050 in the "History of St. Cuthbert", and as "Lertinton" in the Domesday Book of 1086. The placename itself means "the village of Lyrti's people", from the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name "Lyrti", plus "-ing", people of, and "-tun", village, settlement. During the Middle Ages, when migration for the purpose of job-seeking was becoming more common, people often took their village name as a means of identification, resulting in a wide dispersal of the name. Early recordings of the surname include the marriage of Mary Larington and John Bond on January 1st 1641, at St. Margaret's, Westminster, London; the marriage of Joseph Larington and Elizabeth Stanton on December 3rd 1676, at St. Mary's, Marylebone Road, London; and the marriage of Mary Larrington and William Kingstone on November 3rd 1697, at Holbeach, Lincolnshire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Lewrington, which was dated January 23rd 1630, christened at St. Paul's, Norwich, Norfolk, during the reign of King Charles 1, known as "The Martyr", 1625 - 1649. 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.