Munns - Name

This unusual and interesting name is a variant of the surname "Moon", deriving from the Anglo-French words "moun" or "mun", meaning "monk". In medieval times, when surnames were being created, the name could originally have been from the "office" of monk, and subsequently have become a nickname for one of "monkish" behaviour or appearance, surnames being frequently created from nicknames. It could also be a "pageant-name", one acquired by acting the part of a monk in a pageant or mystery play. "Munns" is the patronymic form, the "s" meaning "son of". One, Thomas Munns is recorded as an early settler in America, appearing in the parish of St. James register of 1679.The Coat of Arms most associated with the family has the blazon of per chevron black and gold, in chief three gold bezants, and in base a castle tipple towered. The crest being an arm in armour holding a lion's paw, and the motto is omnia vincit veritas. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Mone who was a witness, which was dated 1260, in the Assize Rolls, Yorkshire, during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. 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.