This uncommon and interesting name is of French (Norman) origin, and is found recorded earliest in Scotland at the end of the 13th Century, as below. The derivation of the surname is from the Olde French 'coeur', heart, used here in the sense of courage and great-heartedness. The early instances of the name are found in a variety of forms, ranging from 'Cor', 'Cure', 'Corr', and 'Core' to 'Coar' and 'Coare', most of which are still in existence today. The name is found particularly in Lanarkshire in Scotland, and in the counties of Northumberland, Durham, and Lincolnshire in England, where the name 'Coare' is recorded heraldically. The arms are 'a red shield with a green barbed and golden seeded chevron between two silver roses, with a silver fleur-de-lis at the bottom'. The marriage of John Coare and Jane Todd was recorded at the church of All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, on the 8th November 1679. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Henry Cor, the rendering of homage at Elgin, which was dated 1296, Documents relating to Scotland in the Public Record Office, 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.

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