Recorded in several spellings including Lippatt, Lippett, Lippitt, Lipiate, Lippiatt, Lipyeat and others, this is an English locational surname, originating from either Lipiate, a village in the county of Somerset, or Lypiatt in the county of Gloucestershire. This latter village is recorded as Lippegat in the Fees Court rolls of the county in the year 1220, whilst the village in Somerset appears as Lypiat in the Somerset Pipe rolls of 1246. Both places share the same unusual meaning from the pre 7th century word "hliepgeat", meaning a leapgate, a gate in a fence low enough to be jumped by horses and deer, but one that kept sheep and cattle from straying. Early examples o0f recordings taken from surviving church registers include the marriage of John Lippiatt and Mary Ann Cam at Alderly in Gloucestershire on September 19th 1566, whilst John Lippatt was christened in London at the church of St Brides Fleet Street, on June 10th 1613. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Roger de la Lypiat. This was was dated 1242, in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset, during the reign of King Henry 111rd, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes 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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