This interesting surname, which is mainly found in Lancashire, is of early medieval English origin, and has two possible sources. Firstly, the surname may be a diminutive of Noble. Itself being a nickname from the Middle English, Old French, "noble", high-born, distinguished, illustrious, and would refer to someone of lofty birth or character, or ironically to someone of exceedingly humble birth or station. Walter Noblet is noted in the 1206 Curia Regis Rolls of Huntindonshire. Secondly, the surname may be a double diminutive of the medieval male given name "Nobb", Nobb-el-ot. Nobb is a pet form of Robert, which is from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "hrod", renown, and "berht", bright, famous. This name was found occasionally in England before the Conquest, but in the main it was introduced into England by the Normans and quickly became popular among all classes of society. Shakespeare used "Nob" as the nickname by which the elder Faulconbridge in "King John" addresses his younger brother. Hugh Nobelot is listed in the 1327 Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire. In the modern idiom the surname can be found as Noblet and Noblett. On June 19th 1540, Robert Noblet married Joan Bolton at Kirkham, Lancashire, and the christening of George, son of Richard Noblet, took place at Kirkham, Lancashire, on October 18th 1545. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ordric Noblet, which was dated 1187, in the "Pipe Rolls of Berkshire", 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.