Show ContentsSelman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Selman originated with the Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled Britain. It is derived from the baptismal name Soloman, which was an ancient personal name. Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames. The surname Selman also has origins as a nickname for a man who was considered to be wise or fortunate.

Early Origins of the Selman family

The surname Selman was first found in Surrey where they were Lords of the manor of Caterham from ancient times. Alternatively, the name could have been derived from Selham, a small village in the Chichester district of West Sussex. The village dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Seleham and literally meant "homestead by a copse of sallow-trees." [1]

A scan of early rolls revealed Ailricius Seliman in the Pipe Rolls for 1169 for Northumberland, Thomas Selman in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275 for Wiltshire, John Seliman in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279 for Cambridgeshire, Robert Salyman in the Subsidy Rolls for Essex in 1327 and Claricia Selimaon and Henry Selmon in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcester for 1327. [2]

Early History of the Selman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Selman research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1240, 1303, 1371, 1390, 1411, 1414, 1426, 1435, 1468, 1541 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Selman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Selman Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Selman has appeared include Saleman, Salman, Selman, Selyman, Seleman and others.

Early Notables of the Selman family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • John Selman (died 1426), English politician, Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle (1390-1411); and John Selman (fl.1414-1435), English politician, Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle (1414-1435.)

Selman Ranking

In the United States, the name Selman is the 8,166th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [3]


United States Selman migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Selman arrived in North America very early:

Selman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Selman, who arrived in Maryland in 1666 [4]
  • Henry Selman, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 [4]
Selman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Selman, who landed in Virginia in 1714 [4]
  • Mical Selman, aged 17, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1741 [4]
  • Michael Selman, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1741
  • Abraham Selman, who settled in Philadelphia in 1749
Selman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Andrew Selman, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1839 [4]
  • William Selman, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1843
  • Michael Selman, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1844

West Indies Selman 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. [5]
Selman Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. George Selman, aged 16, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634 [4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Selman (post 1700) +

  • Bill Selman, American coach of the American Team at the 1982 World Ice Hockey Championships
  • John Marion Selman Jr (1875-1937), American officer in El Paso, Texas who arrested the mistress of gunman John Wesley Hardin for brandishing a gun in public; he was pistol-whipped by Hardin and his father returned later to kill Harden
  • Matt Selman, American Annie Award winning, Writers Guild of America Award winning, five-time Primetime Emmy Award winning writer for the television show "The Simpsons"
  • Matty Selman, American playwright, lyricist and composer based in New York
  • Bart Selman, American associate professor of computer science at Cornell University
  • John Selman (1839-1896), American outlaw and sometimes lawman of the Old West, remembered as the man who shot outlaw John Wesley Hardin in the Acme Saloon in El Paso, Texas on August 19, 1895; himself killed in a shootout with Marshal George Scarborough
  • Rubén Selman (b. 1963), Chilean retired football referee
  • Selman Abraham Waksman (1888-1973), Russian-born, American biochemist
  • Selman Wells, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Tyler County, 1870, 1881-82 [6]


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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