Despite its academic appearance, this very interesting name is one originally held by a Viking Warrior of the pre 7th Century. It derives from the Olde Norse "Ottar" originally anglicized to "othepe" and later as a surname to Authers, Authors, Atter and Otter, where applicable the plural probably implies a patronymic "son of Othere". The personal name was a compound of the elements "Oker" (terrible) and "hari" (Army). The personal name as "Otre" is recorded in the 1086, Domesday Book. The developed surname recordings include - John Authur, June 4th 1683 at St. Mary-Le-Bone Church, and Lucy Auther, September 24th 1758 at St. Sepulchre Church. There is a possibility that some name holders may derive from the old English-British "Arthur" but this is not proven. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Symon Other, which was dated 1279, The Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, during the reign of King Edward I, 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.

© Copyright: Name Origin Research 1980 - 2024