Show ContentsKilman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The chronicles of the Kilman family reach back into Scottish history to an ancient tribe known as the Picts. The ancestors of the Kilman family lived at Kelman Hill, which is in the Cabrach in the county of Aberdeen.

Early Origins of the Kilman family

The surname Kilman was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Kilman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kilman research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kilman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kilman Spelling Variations

When the first dictionaries were invented in the last few hundred years, spelling gradually became standardized. Before that time, scribes spelled according to sound. Names were often recorded under different spelling variations every time they were written. Kilman has been written Kelman, Kilman and others.

Early Notables of the Kilman family

More information is included under the topic Early Kilman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Kilman migration to the United States +

The crossing to North America did not seem so great in comparison with the hardships many Scots endured at home. It was long, expensive, and cramped, but also rewarding. North America offered land and the chance for settlers to prove themselves in a new place. And many did prove themselves as they fought to forge a new nation in the American War of Independence. The ancestors of those Scots can now experience much of their once-lost heritage through the Clan societies and highland games that have sprung up across North America in the last century. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Kilman:

Kilman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Nicholas Kilman, who arrived in New York in 1765 1
  • William Kilman, aged 23, who landed in Virginia in 1773 1

Canada Kilman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kilman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Kilman Jacob U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 2
  • Mr. Kilman Jacob U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Kilman (post 1700) +

  • Julian "Buzz" Kilman (b. 1944), American radio personality
  • Gustaf Olof Falhem Kilman (1882-1946), Swedish Army officer and gold medalist horse rider in the 1912 Summer Olympics


  1. 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)
  2. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X


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