Origin of Seamen
This long-established surname, now widespread in Norfolk, is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and derives from the Olde English pre 7th Century male given name "Saemann", a compound of the elements "sae", sea, and "mann", man. "Seman" (without surname) is noted in the Domesday Book of 1086 for Surrey, and in Documents relating to the Danelaw, Lincolnshire, dated 1155. The surname first appears on record towards the end of the 12th Century (see below). Both the surname and the personal name were in use in the mid 13th Century as the following entries in the 1273 Hundred Rolls of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire show: Seman de Reston; Seman le Carpenter; Seaman le Baylif; and Herveus Seman.
Occasionally, Seaman may have originated as an occupational name for a sailor or master of a vessel. Job-descriptive surnames initially denoted the actual occupation of the namebearer, and later became hereditary. William Seaman (1606 - 1680) was an English ambassador to Constantinople, and three of the name: George, Rob and Robert Seaman appear on a "List of Convicted Rebels" (after the Monmouth Rebellion) bound for the Barbados, in January 1685. A Coat of Arms granted to the Seaman family is described thus: "Barry wavy of six argent and azure per bend counterchanged, over all a crescent erminois. Crest: out of a crescent erminois a demi sea-horse barry wavy of six argent and azure." The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Rufus Seman, which was dated 1182, in the "Kalendar of Abbot Samson of Bury St. Edmunds", Cambridgeshire, 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.
The surname Seamen. Genealogy, origin, history, meaning, and significance
Discovering the historical roots of seamen is deeply interesting, as it takes us back to the ancestors and relatives who established this lineage. The origin, the coat of arms or the different heraldic shields, and the bibliography in which the surname seamen 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 seamen.
The surname Seamen around the world
Although surnames have a specific origin at a certain time and region of the planet, many of them have spread far and wide across the world for various reasons, as is the case with the surname seamen. The list of countries with a higher presence of people with the surname seamen provides us with a perspective on the history of the surname, beyond its origins, focusing on its migrations.
History of Seamen
The historical chronicle of seamen is based on a striking series of events that were led by those who have carried this surname throughout history. For those like you, who are interested in the history hidden behind the surname seamen, 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 seamen developed. In the following lines, you will find everything we have been able to gather about the surname seamen.
We suggest that if you want to learn more about the surname seamen, try to locate it through the bibliographic sources we suggest. 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 seamen and send it to us, we will update it on this website.
Notable Figures Named Seamen
It's more than likely that there have been some distinguished seamens throughout human history. Sadly, not all the contributions of those who bore the surname seamen were recorded by the chroniclers of the time. If you or someone you know bears the surname seamen, 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 seamen who, for various reasons, have left their mark on the course of history.
The surname Seamen and its bibliographic sources
Thanks to a significant bibliographic review, we have so far compiled information on the heraldry, history, and genealogy of seamen. The origin, history, coat of arms or different coats of arms, and the heraldry of seamen 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 seamen.
SOURCES
These sources are essential for initiating the understanding of seamen, and at the same time, of surnames in general.
