Recorded as Naire, Nayer, Nare, Nore, Noor, Noore, Noar, Noare, Noah, Nower and possibly others, this is an English pre medieval surname. It was either topographical and originates from living by a "nore," meaning a shore or cliff, or was locational from residence at a place called Nore in Surrey. This village was "diminished" in about the 16th century, for reasons unknown, and the inhabitants dispersed. It is now known as Nore Farm. Locational surnames are in any case usually "from" names. That is to say names given as easy identification to former villagers who had moved elsewhere. Spelling being at best erratic, and local dialects very thick, often lead as with this name to the creation of "sounds like" variations of the spelling. Examples of recordings include John atte Nore of Surrey in the English Place Names list of the year 1263, whilst Richard att Noure appears in the place names list for the county of Sussex in 1353. According to the late Professor Reaney, the leading etymologist of his time and writing in 1959, in the counties of Surrey, Sussex, Devon and Middlesex, the spelling of the surname is usually to be found as Nower. The very earliest example of a recording is probably that of Walter Nore in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1275, Ann Noore christened at St Giles Cripplegate in the city of London, on November 9th 1604, and James Nower christened at Christ Church Spitalfields in the city of London on June 18th 1741.

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