This interesting surname can be of Anglo-Saxon origin, from a nickname for a lazy person, deriving from the Middle English "drane" (Olde English pre 7th Century "dran") meaning "drone, a male honey bee", which has been long taken as a symbol of idleness. It can also be of Irish origin, deriving from the Anglicized form of the Gaelic "O'Drain", meaning "descendant of Drean", a byname meaning "wren", and the prefix "O" denoting "son of", or the Anglicized form of the Gaelic "O'Druachain", meaning "descendant of Druachain", a byname representing a diminutive of "druach", itself meaning "wise man". The surname dates back to the late 13th Century (see below), and further early recordings include: Roger Drane (1276), in the Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire, and Walter le Dran (1285), in the Assize Court Rolls of Essex. Variations in the idiom of the spelling include Drouon, Dronioy, Droin and Drain. Recordings from London Church Registers include: the christening of Ann Dron at St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate, on January 23rd 1602, and the christening of Ann, daughter of John and Anne Drone, at Spitalfield, Christchurch, Stepney, on August 17th 1759. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Adam le Dron, which was dated 1275, in the "Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "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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