This interesting and unusual name has two possible derivations, the first and most likely being from the medieval English female personal name 'Mahalt, Malt, Mauld', or 'Maud', variants of the Norman given name 'Mathilde' introduced into England after the Conquest of 1066. The name is composed of the Germanic elements 'maht', might, strength, and 'wild', battle. William the Conqueror's wife was named 'Matilda', and was called 'Mold' by Robert of Gloucester; William's grand-daughter also bore the name 'Matilda', and it was she who disputed the throne of England with her cousin Stephen during the mid 12th Century. A second possible derivation is from a nickname for a bald man, from the Middle English 'mould', - the top of the head. The 'modern' spellings include Moult, Mold, Mould, Maude, etc whilst early recordings include Mary, the daughter of John Mold, christened at the church of St Michael Bassishaw, London on July 24th 1586, and the marriage of John Mould and Averell Ruddocke was recorded at St. Nicholas, Cole Abbey, London, on January 24th 1637. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Gilbert Mald, which was dated 1190, in the Essex Pipe Rolls, during the reign of King Richard 1, known as 'The Lionheart', 1189-1199. 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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