Recorded as Jackman, Jakeman and possibly others, this is an English surname although probably with some French input. It derives from the from the French personal name Jacque, a form of John, and introduced into the British Isles after the Norman Conquest of 1066. To this has been added the Old English pre 6th century suffix 'mann', the latter meaning friend or advisor. The surname was first recorded in the year 1296 when Robert Jakeman appear in the Subsidy Tax rolls for the county of Sussex, whilst Robert Jackman appears in the Poll Tax rolls for Yorkshire in 1379.
A coat of arms was granted to Alderman Edward Jackman, the High Sheriff of London in 1564. He held extensive estates in the counties of Buckingham, Essex, Hertfordshire and as far away as Durham. Early examples of the surname in surviving church registers include William Jackman, a christening witness at St Mary Colechurch, on June 27th 1561, and Katherin Jakman, christened at St Margaret Lothbury, also city of London, on January 13th 1571. John Jackman of Barbados is recorded as being "master" of Pettard Cordeline. The latter, who seems to have been a Frenchman, was a supporter of the Duke of Monmouth. After being captured in 1685, he was sentenced by 'Bloody' Judge Jeffries to exile in the West Indies as a slave. 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.
The origin, the coat of arms or the different heraldic shields, and the bibliography in which the surname jackman is mentioned are part of this exciting investigation. Adhering to what we know about the way surnames originated, it is possible to offer a realistic explanation of the origins of jackman.
The list of countries with a higher presence of people with the surname jackman provides us with a perspective on the history of the surname, beyond its origins, focusing on its migrations.
For those like you, who are interested in the history hidden behind the surname jackman, it is essential to find all kinds of information, both direct and tangential, that helps to construct a solid narrative of how the birth and expansion of jackman developed. In the following lines, you will find everything we have been able to gather about the surname jackman.
We keep our website updated through our own research and also thanks to contributions from people like you, after verification; so if you have information about jackman and send it to us, we will update it on this website.
Sadly, not all the contributions of those who bore the surname jackman were recorded by the chroniclers of the time. If you or someone you know bears the surname jackman, you could potentially build illustrious lineages through your efforts and virtues. It is our desire to highlight in this section those individuals with the surname jackman who, for various reasons, have left their mark on the course of history.
The origin, history, coat of arms or different coats of arms, and the heraldry of jackman are recorded in a wide variety of sources and documents that are essential to know for better compilation. Accessing the archives of the town or towns where your ancestors were born and lived is, of course, a good way to trace the origins of jackman.
These sources are essential for initiating the understanding of jackman, and at the same time, of surnames in general.