This early Cornish surname is locational. Recorded locally in the spellings of Leman, Lemin, Lemon, Lemman, Lemmans, Lemans, and many others, it derives from the place name 'Lemin', a hamlet near Gwinear. It is said that the translation from the Old Cornish 'Nansmyn' of the year 1350, is 'the edge of the valley', and this sounds quite a logical explanation, and similar to the English Ridge or Rudge, originally 'atten edge'. Cornish surnames are often locational, and in that respect are the opposite of all other Gaelic and Celtic surnames, which are overwhelmingly patronymic. In this case though it must be pointed out that this name spelling is encountered in other parts of Britain, and when this is the case the origination may either be the Irish 'Lemmon' or the Olde English 'Loveman'or the Cornish, and possibly even the French 'Le Mans', indicating somebody from that city. Examples of early church recordings, and we have to accept that there may be earlier land charter recordings to which we have not had access, include Elizabeth lemon, christened at Gwinear on January 22nd 1625, Ann Lemyn, christened at Madron on February 4th 1637, George Lemmon, whose son Hercules was christened at Camborne on January 1st 1665, Alexander Lemin, a witness at Redruth on April 24th 1673, and Elzabeth Lemin, daughter of Charles Lemin, christened at Warleggan on September 8th 1816. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Elizabeth Lammon, which was dated July 2nd 1581, married at Breage to Michael Trelobus, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1st, known as 'Good Queen Bess', 1558 - 1603. 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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