This interesting surname has a number of possible origins. Firstly, it may be from the Middle English given name "Leofman", composed of the elements "leof" meaning dear, beloved plus "mann" a man. It may also have originated as a nickname for a lover or sweetheart, from the Middle English "lem(m)an", originally a compound of the same elements as above, but used of either sex. It has also been suggested that it derives from "lamb" a pet form of the Old German male given name Lambert, meaning "land-famous" plus the diminutive suffix "-ing", with the "b" being dropped later to give laming. One, John Lambyn, is recorded in the 1273, Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, and Henry Lambin, appears in the 1292 London registers. In the modern idiom the surname has numerous variant spellings including Leaman, Leamon, Limon, Leaming, Lammin, Lamping, etc.. On November 7th 1639, Francis, son of Francis Laming was christened at St. Lawrence Jewry and St. Mary Magdalene, Milk Street, London, and Roger Laming married Elizabeth Beane, on September 19th 1644, at St. Dunstan's, Stepney. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Reiner Leman, which was dated 1185, in the records of the Templars in Essex, during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. 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.