Show ContentsPlowman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Plowman family

The surname Plowman was first found in Westmorland, where the Plowman family was anciently seated as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066; the language of the courts was French for the next three centuries, and the Norman ambience prevailed. In spite of this, many surnames of Anglo-Saxon origin survived, and the family name Plowman was first referenced in the year 1223, when Robert Plouman held estates in the northern county of Westmorland.

Early History of the Plowman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Plowman research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1345, 1560, 1773, 1811, 1843 and 1867 are included under the topic Early Plowman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Plowman Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Plouman, Plowman, Ploughman, Ploman, Plewman, Plemons, Plimon, Pleuman, Plemmons and many more.

Early Notables of the Plowman family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • John Plowman (1773-1843), an architect

Plowman Ranking

In the United States, the name Plowman is the 7,250th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1


United States Plowman migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Plowman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Edward Plowman, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 2
  • Fra Plowman, who landed in Virginia in 1663 2
Plowman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jonathan Plowman, who settled in Virginia in 1700
  • William Plowman, who settled in Virginia in 1726
  • John Plowman, who immigrated to Maryland in 1749
  • Thomas Plowman, who landed in America in 1760-1763 2
Plowman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Charlotte Plowman, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1818
  • Anthony Plowman, who settled in Baltimore in 1829
  • E. Plowman, who emigrated from Ireland to New York in 1852
  • George Frederick Plowman, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1871 2

Australia Plowman migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Plowman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Plowman, British convict who was convicted in Norwich, Norfolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Competitor"18th March 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
  • John Plowman, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Fatima" 4
  • Mr. Samuel Plowman, British convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Cornwall" on 28th February 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5

New Zealand Plowman migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Plowman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William E. Plowman, aged 18, a bootmaker, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rooparell" in 1874

West Indies Plowman migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 6
Plowman Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • William Plowman, who arrived in Barbados in 1664

Contemporary Notables of the name Plowman (post 1700) +

  • Debra D. Plowman, American politician and businesswoman, Member of the Maine Senate
  • Thomas Scales Plowman (1843-1919), American politician, U.S. Representative from Alabama
  • Jonathan Plowman (1717-1795), early American spy and a privateer during the American Revolutionary War
  • Timothy Plowman (1944-1989), American ethnobotanist
  • Gillian Plowman, award-winning English playwright, awarded the 1988 Verity Bargate Award for her play Me and My Friend
  • Martin Plowman (b. 1987), English racing driver from Burton upon Trent
  • Phillip Jon Plowman OBE (b. 1953), English producer at the BBC since 1980
  • Anna-Louise Plowman (b. 1975), New Zealand actress
  • Antony Fulton "Tony" Plowman (b. 1938), Australian politician, Liberal Party of Australia Member for the Electoral district of Benambra from 1992 to 2006
  • Sidney James "Jim" Plowman (1934-2007), Australian politician, 27th Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly (1979-1982)
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
  4. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The barque FATIMA 1850, 521 tons. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Fatima.htm
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cornwall
  6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


Houseofnames.com on Facebook