This is a genuine French/Huguenot refugee name first recorded in England in the mid 17th Century. In France it is recorded Heraldically as either Forme or Formet from Picardy and Dauphin respectively and these spellings seem to have continued in England for two hundred years although latterly the "E" has been lost. The name was originally a metonymic for a Grower of Pears, a logical meaning given the original location. The name development in England includes Francois Forme, the son of Elie Forme and Susanna (nee, De La Mare) christened at Threadneedle Street Church in 1680. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Barbe Forme (Female Infant), which was dated 1662, christened at Threadneedle Street, Huguenot Church, London, during the reign of King Charles II, The Merry Monarch, 1660 - 1685. 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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