Tilleman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Tilleman finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxons of England. It was given to one 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 Tilleman family

The surname Tilleman 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 Tilleman family

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

Tilleman Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Tilleman has been recorded under many different variations, including Tillman, Tilman, Tilmanstone, Tilghman, Tileman and others.

Early Notables of the Tilleman 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...
So highly esteemed was Tillemans as a topographical draughtsman, that his services were retained by John Bridges (1666-1724), author of the "History of Northamptonshire," to make all the drawings for...

Migration of the Tilleman family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Tilleman or a variant listed above: J. Henry Tillman arrived in Philadelphia in 1751; Peter Tillman settled in Philadelphia in 1754; Nicholas Tilman settled in Philadelphia in 1754; Christopher Tilman settled in Virginia in 1638..

Contemporary Notables of the name Tilleman (post 1700) +

Michael John "Mike" Tilleman (1944-2020), American professional NFL football player
Donald A. Tilleman (1919-1972), American politician, Mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin, 1965-72 5

The Tilleman 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.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html