Show ContentsDillman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Dillman is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It is a name for someone who worked as a farmer having been derived from the Old English word tilman, which means husbandman or farmer. [1] [2] Reaney postulates that the name could also have originated for the occupation "tile-man," as in "maker of tiles." [2]

"'Because there were so fewe tylmen, the erde (earth) lay untitled': Capgrave's Chron. sub. A.D. 1349." [3]

"Tilmon was the name of one of the English priests who accompanied the ill- fated Hewalds in their mission to the Continental Saxons A.D. 690." [4]

Early Origins of the Dillman family

The surname Dillman was first found in Gloucestershire where Alexander Tileman was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1204. A few years later, Alan Tileman was recorded in Assize Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1260. Early in the 14th century, Adam Titleman was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1301. [2]

We found only one record of the family in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, that of Geoffrey Tileman in Huntingdonshire and in London, the Munimenta Gildhallæ Londoniensis recorded Walter Tileman. [1]

Early History of the Dillman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dillman research. Another 45 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1666, 1684, 1708, 1724 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Dillman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dillman Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Dillman are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Dillman include: Tillman, Tilman, Tilmanstone, Tilghman, Tileman and others.

Early Notables of the Dillman family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Peter Tillemans (1684-1734), Belgium-born, English painter and draughtsman, born at Antwerp in 1684, was son of a diamond-cutter, but studied landscape-painting when young. He was brother-in-law to Peter Casteels, and in 1708 the two young men...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dillman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dillman Ranking

In the United States, the name Dillman is the 7,098th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [5]


United States Dillman migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Dillman or a variant listed above:

Dillman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Hans Jorg Dillman, who arrived in America in 1737 [6]
  • Georg Dillman, who arrived in America in 1751 [6]
  • Hans Georg Dillman, who arrived in America in 1751 [6]
  • Georg Friederich Dillman, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 [6]
  • Anna Maria Dillman, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1795 [6]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Dillman (post 1700) +

  • Bradford Dillman (1930-2018), American Broadway and movie actor and author form San Francisco, California
  • Ray E. Dillman, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Utah, 1948 [7]
  • Ralph Dillman, American Democratic Party politician, Chair of Edgar County Democratic Party, 1950 [7]
  • P. B. Dillman, American politician, Mayor of Du Bois, Pennsylvania, 1953-55 [7]
  • Marvin E. Dillman (b. 1907), American Republican politician, Member of Wisconsin State Assembly from Iron, Oneida and Vilas counties, 1955-58 [7]
  • Howard Dillman, American politician, Supervisor of Hamburg Township, Michigan, 2003 [7]
  • Grover Cleveland Dillman (1889-1979), American Republican politician, Engineer; Michigan state highway commissioner, 1929-33; Appointed 1929; Defeated, 1933; President, Michigan Tech University [7]
  • Francis Dillman, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly from Sheboygan County 2nd District, 1938 [7]
  • Christian Friedrich August Dillman (1823-1894), German orientalist
  • Hugh Dillman McGaughy (1885-1956), birth name of Hugh Dillman, an American Broadway and silent film actor, known for An Amateur Widow (1919), his first marriage was to Anna Dodge, widow of Detroit automobile magnate Horace Elgin Dodge; she was one of the wealthiest women in the world

Halifax Explosion
  • Mr. Thomas A.  Dillman (1889-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) [8]


The Dillman Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Spes alit agricolam
Motto Translation: Hope nourishes the farmer.


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  8. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance


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