This is a medieval occupational name which derives from the "Saxon" - Streawmann, meaning "A merchant in hay and straw or from the Greek "Srouthion" through the German "Strauss" to mean a maker of hats. It could also be a nickname for the servant of a well known "flashy" dresser, a sort of early Beau Brummel, but this must be a rare origin. The name is first recorded in England at the beginning of the Huguenot Period (1620 - 1750) as shown, other recordings include Mari Sophi Wilhelmina Stratmann, christened at St. Anns Church, Soho, on June 14th 1843 suggesting a re-introduction following the Austro-German Revolution of the 1840's. The instrusive "h" being a later anglicisation. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas Stratman, which was dated December 9th 1638, a witness at St. Dunstans Church, Stepney, during the reign of King Charles I, "The Martyr" 1625 - 1649. 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.