The surname Ratman was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Irby who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.
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Early History of the Ratman family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ratman research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1428, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Ratman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Ratman Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Radman, Readman, Ratman, Radmond, Radmon, Radham and others.
Early Notables of the Ratman family
More information is included under the topic Early Ratman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Ratman family
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Conrad Radman, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1771; Henry Radmand, who settled in Philadelphia in 1832; Charles Radman, who arrived in Boston in 1859.
England
