This is without doubt one of the most unusual of habitational surname with an Olde English pre 7th Century origin. The derivation is from the word "ad", however, the precise meaning is unclear and appears to have a different translation in different parts of the country. The general consensus it that it probably refers to a funeral pile or site of ceremonial burning, cremation being the common form of burial particularly amongst the Vikings. The surname was first recorded in the late 13th Century (see below), and other early recordings include the following examples: Adam atten Ode, of the Node in Totland, Isle of Wight (1311), and Richard ate Node, or Codicote, Hertfordshire (circa 1282). Curiously, in the modern spellings, the patronymic Nodes or Noads, the son of Node are much more common than the singular spelling.Recordings from London Church Registers include: the christening of Ann, daughter of Stephen and Ann Noad, on December 4th 1768, at St. Botolph without Aldgate, and the marriage of Charles Noad and Ann Steward on November 22nd 1790, at St. Bride's, Fleet Street. The family Coat of Arms is a black shield, a silver pile, three trefoils slipped of the first. In Heraldry black denotes Constancy, and silver symbolises Peace and Sincerity. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Adam Node, which was dated 1297, in the "Rolls of the Duchy of Cornwall", 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.