This name, with variant spellings Stronge and Strang, derives from the Olde English pre 7th Century "strang", (Medieval English "strong"), meaning strong, and was originally given as a nickname to one who possessed great physical strength. The surname was fist recorded in the latter part of the 12th Century, (see below). One, Simon Strong appears in the 1273 "Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire", and a William le Stronge, witness, in the 1276 "Assize Court Rolls of Somerset". The form "strang" was preserved in the north as shown in the recordings of one, Adam Strang - "The Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire", (1379) and John Strang who was elected councillor in Aberdeen (1398). On February 1st 1685 Charles Strong appeared on a list of rebels in Dorchester Gaol destined for transportation to the Barbados. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Stronge, which was dated 1185 - "The Knights Templars Records of Warwickshire", during the reign of King Henry 11, known as the Builder of Churches, 1154 - 1189. 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.