Contents [hide]

Seaman History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Seaman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The distinguished surname Seaman is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It is derived from the Old English "saemann," meaning "sea-man," and was likely first borne by a sailor. "Sæmann occurs in Domesday-Book. Seman is the usual 13th-cent [version of the name] Occasionally this name may represent the Anglo-Saxon Saemund [Old English sae, sea+mund, protector] and Sigemund [Old English sige, victory]" 1

"In the Domesday of Surrey there is a Seman, who held lands before the making of that record. Anglo-Saxon Sae-mann, a sailor." 2

Early Origins of the Seaman family

The surname Seaman was first found in Suffolk, where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Seman de Reston; Seman le Carpenter; Seman Eche; and Robert filius Seman at that time. The first record of the family was listed in Hodgson's History of Northumberland where John filius Semanni was listed there in 1169. 3

Kirby's Quest lists Seman le Collar in Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward's reign.) 4

Later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Robertus Saymon. 3

Early History of the Seaman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Seaman research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1044, 1273, 1606, 1628, 1675 and 1680 are included under the topic Early Seaman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Seaman Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Seaman, Seamom, Semon, Seman, Seamons, Semones and many more.

Early Notables of the Seaman family

Distinguished members of the family include

William Seaman (1606-1680), English Orientalist, first translator of the New Testament into Turkish. In 1628 he became rector of Upton-Scudamore, a living in the gift of Queen's College, Oxford, which...
Lazarus Seaman (died 1675), was an English Puritan divine, a native of Leicester, where he was born of poor parents early in the seventeenth century. On 11 April 1044 Seaman was admitted Master of Pet...

Seaman Ranking

In the United States, the name Seaman is the 2,464^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 5

Seaman migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Seaman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. John Seaman who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet 6
John Seaman, who settled in Connecticut in 1640
Gilbert Seaman, who arrived in Virginia in 1656 7
John Seaman, who landed in Virginia in 1656 7
William Seaman, who landed in Virginia in 1656 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Seaman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Seaman, who arrived in Virginia in 1719 7
Lodwick Seaman, aged 26, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748 7
Mary Ann Seaman, who landed in South Carolina in 1749 7
Benjamin Seaman, who was naturalized in New York in 1776

Seaman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Dirck Seaman, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1828 7
Henry Seaman, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1837 7
Henry D Seaman, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1839 7
Henry D. Seaman, who was naturalized in Charleston, South Carolina in 1839
Arthur Seaman, who sailed from London to New Orleans on the ship Arlington in 1849
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Seaman Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Herman Seaman, who landed in Mississippi in 1901 7

Seaman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Seaman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Seaman, who arrived in New Brunswick in 1783
Mr. Benjamin Seaman U.E. born in Staten Island, New York, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 he died in 1785 8
Mr. John Seaman U.E. born in Dutchess County, New York, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 passenger aboard the Union Transport, was a Farmer 8
Mr. Richard Seaman U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 he was an Alderman and Provincial Treasurer 8
Mr. William Seaman U.E. born in Dutchess County, New York, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Seaman Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Daniel Seaman, who was recorded in the 1871 census of Ontario

Seaman migration to Australia +

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

Seaman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Seaman, English convict who was convicted in Kent, England for life, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd February 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Philip Seaman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Bolton" in 1848 10
Hannah Seaman, aged 41, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Agincourt" in 1850 11
Luke Seaman, aged 15, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Agincourt" in 1850 11
Rachel Seaman, aged 14, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Agincourt" in 1850 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Seaman 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:

Seaman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Seaman, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 25th February 1856 12
Mr. Henry Seaman, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 25th February 1856 12
Fanny Seaman, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1864
William Seaman, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1864
Thomas Seaman, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Andrew Jackson" in 1865
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Seaman 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. 13

Seaman Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

George Seaman, who immigrated to Barbados in 1685

Contemporary Notables of the name Seaman (post 1700) +

Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman (1864-1922), American journalist, writer, industrialist, inventor, and a charity worker, best known for her record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days, in emulation of Jules Verne's fictional character Phileas Fogg and for her use of the pen name Nellie Bly
Lieutenant Commander Allen L. Seaman (1916-1944), American naval aviator, recipient of two Navy Crosses for service in the Pacific War, eponym of the USS Seaman (DD-791)
Julius Seaman, American founder of Seaman's Furniture, an American chain of furniture stores in 1933
Richard John Beattie "Dick" Seaman (1913-1939), English pre-war Grand Prix driver who drove for the Mercedes-Benz team (1937-1939), winning the 1938 German Grand Prix
David Andrew Seaman MBE (b. 1963), English former professional football goalkeeper
Byron James Seaman (1923-2021), Canadian businessman, co-owner of the NHL Calgary Flames from 1980 until 2010
Reverend Sir Keith Douglas Seaman KCVO, OBE (1920-2013), Australian Governor of South Australia (1977 to 1982)
Christopher Seaman (1942-1987), British conductor, resident conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra from 1987 to 1998
Frederic Stephen Seaman (1906-2000), Indian gold medalist field hockey player at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Daryl Seaman OC AOE (1923-2009), Canadian businessman, co-owner of the Calgary Flames, elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2010

Historic Events for the Seaman family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Russell Otto Seaman, American Fireman First Class from Iowa, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 14

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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)
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
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BOLTON 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Bolton.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The AGINCOURT 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Agincourt.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html