This unusual name is of Old Germanic and Anglo-Saxon origins, and represents a very rare survival of an Old German female personal name, "Ingilsind(is)". The first element of the given name is a variant form of the tribal name "Angle"; the Angles were a Germanic tribe who invaded eastern and northern Britain in the 5th and 6th Centuries, and gave their name to "England", in Olde English "Englalund". The second element is ow obscure, but is thought to be related to the Old Germanic "sin(d)ths", path, way. Surnames derived from the name of the first bearer's mother are rare, because European society has almost invariably been patriarchal throughout history, with the given name of the male head of the household handed on as a distinguishing name to successive generations. The given name was recorded in Yorkshire in 1219 as "Ingelsent", and one William Inglissent was listed in the Register of the Freemen of the City of York in 1447. Recordings from Yorkshire Church Registers include: the christening of John, son of Stephen Inglesant, on December 6th 1608, at Fewston, and the marriage of Miles Inglesant and Jenit Shutt on April 16th 1611, at Hampsthwaite. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Inglesant, which was dated 1379, in the "Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire", during the reign of King Richard 11, known as "Richard of Bordeaux", 1377 - 1399. 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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