Show ContentsTillman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Tillman is an Anglo-Saxon name. The name was originally given to 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 Tillman family

The surname Tillman 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 Tillman family

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

Tillman 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 Tillman has appeared include Tillman, Tilman, Tilmanstone, Tilghman, Tileman and others.

Early Notables of the Tillman 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. He was brother-in-law to Peter Casteels, and in 1708 the two young men...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tillman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tillman Ranking

In the United States, the name Tillman is the 792nd most popular surname with an estimated 37,305 people with that name. 5


United States Tillman 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 Tillman arrived in North America very early:

Tillman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Gideon Tillman, who landed in Maryland in 1673 6
  • Roger Tillman, who arrived in Virginia in 1689 6
Tillman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • J Henry Tillman, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 6
  • J. Henry Tillman, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1751
  • Johannes Tillman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 6
  • Nicklas Tillman, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 6
  • Peter Tillman, who settled in Philadelphia in 1754
Tillman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Clemens Tillman, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1844
  • Aug Tillman, who landed in America in 1849 6
  • H Tillman, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
  • Carl Walfred Tillman, who arrived in Arkansas in 1893 6

Canada Tillman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tillman Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Antony Tillman, who was on reocord in the census of Ontario, Canada of 1871

Contemporary Notables of the name Tillman (post 1700) +

  • Jerry W. Tillman (1940-2023), American politician, Member of the North Carolina Senate, Majority Whip of the North Carolina Senate (2011-2020)
  • Russell Arthur "Rusty" Tillman (1946-2021), American football player who played linebacker in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins from 1970 to 1977
  • Joshua Tillman (b. 1981), American folk singer, guitarist, drummer, and songwriter
  • Charles "Peanut" Tillman (b. 1981), American NFL football cornerback for the Chicago Bears
  • Christopher Steven "Chris" Tillman (b. 1988), American Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles
  • Benjamin Tillman (1847-1918), American politician who served as Governor of South Carolina from 1890 to 1894 and as a United States Senator from 1895 until his death, eponym of the USS Tillman (DD-135), a Wickes-class destroyer and the USS Tillman (DD-641), a Gleaves-class destroyer
  • Pat Tillman (1976-2004), American football player and soldier in the United States Army, recipient of Silver Star and Purple Heart
  • Samuel Escue Tillman (1847-1942), American astronomer, engineer, military educator, and career officer
  • Kevin Tillman (b. 1978), American minor league baseball player
  • Henry Tillman (b. 1960), former American boxer
  • ... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Tillman 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.


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. 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)


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