This interesting name has two possible origins. The first, and most likely being a nickname from the Olde English pre 7th century "dust" meaning "dust" and given to one with dust coloured complexion or hair. The surname from this source is first recorded in the early half of the 11th century. One Robert le Doust is recorded in the 1316 Fine Court Rolls of Kent. C.1400 the name was frequently given to a wayfarer. The second possibility is that the name is topographic and given perhaps to one residing in a particularly dusty area. A Richard del Douster is recorded in the 1332 Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire. On June 23rd 1715 one Anne Doust married a Robert Swasey in Siant Dunstan, Stepney (London Marriage Licence Records). The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ulf Dust. which was dated c. 1030, in the "Olde English Bynames Register", during the reign of King Canute of England, 1016 - 1035. 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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