This unusual and interesting name is found in both England and Scotland and is an exapmle of the common medieval practice of creating a surname from a nickname. In this instance the nickname was for an unpredictable, wild individual, from the Middle English and Old French word "ramage" meaning "wild", used of a hawk or other bird of prey "living in the branches". The derivation is from the medieval latin "ramaticus", from "ramus", branch. The first recorded instance of the surname in Scotland is that of "Peter Ramage", messenger to the Sheriff of Perth, who was paid for his expenses in 1304. A family by the name of "Ramage" has long been connected with Peebleshire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Ramage, witness. which was dated c.1240, Fees Court of Lincolnshire. during the reign of King Henry III, The Frenchman, 1216 - 1272. 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.