This interesting surname of English origin is derived from Lin-et Lin-ot diminutives of Lina, itself a pet-form of such womens names as Adelina, Emelina, Lecelina, etc. It can also be a nickname from the Middle English "linet", Old French "linot" meaning "linnet". The surname dates back to the late 13th Century, (see below). Further recordings include one Thomas Linet (1317), witness, "The Assize Rolls of Kent". Variations in the idiom of the spelling include Lynot, Lynnet, Linnet, etc.. One, Thomas Linnit was christened at St. John, Hackney, London on January 13th 1558. John, son of Dyonys Lynnett, was christened at St. Giles, Cripplegate on April 8th 1592, and Elizabeth Linnett married Thomas Hill on June 5th 1626, at St. Katherine by the Tower, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Linet, which was dated 1275, in the "Hundred Rolls of Sussex", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. 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.